(CNN) -- Eduard Shevardnadze, whose political career seesawed between two extremes, has died, Georgia's GHN news agency reported Monday. He was 86. Around the world, he was hailed as the man who helped end the Cold War. At home, he was the man whose resignation as president of Georgia was greeted by cheers and fireworks. Born in Georgia in 1928, he worked his way up the Communist Party chain until he became the foreign minister for the Soviet Union under President Mikhail Gorbachev. It was then that Gorbachev announced his policy of "perestroika," or change, in the Soviet Union. Shevardnadze was the international face of it.
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As Gorbachev's foreign minister, he helped end the Cold War
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As president of Georgia, he was accused of massive corruption
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His resignation was greeted with cheers and fireworks
The breakup of the @placeholder empire gave birth to many independent republics; Georgia was one of them.
Renewed hope for the future came with @placeholder's promise of free and democratic elections.