Mikhail Gorbachev major campaign to limit alcohol consumption, which Gorbachev—who believed it would improve health and work efficiency—oversaw. His wife keenly supported the measure. As a result, crime rates fell and life expectancy grew slightly between 1986 and 1987. The reform had significant costs to the Soviet economy, resulting in losses of up to $100 billion between 1985 and 1990. Gorbachev later considered the campaign to have been an error. In April 1986 the Chernobyl disaster occurred; in the immediate aftermath, officials fed Gorbachev incorrect information to downplay the incident. As the scale of the disaster became apparent, 336,000 people were evacuated
1996 Mikhail Gorbachev presidential campaign visitors. Since leaving office, Gorbachev had become a celebrated figure in the West, receiving much credit for his role in peacefully ending the Cold War. However, Gorbachev had, at the same time, become a loathed figure in Russia, receiving blame for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Upon declaring his intent to run, Gorbachev polled at a mere 1%, and ultimately failed to subsequently build a greater level support. Opinion polling showed Gorbachev having immense unpopularity amongst the Russian people. Many communists blamed him for the collapse of the Soviet Communist Party and the Soviet Union itself. Many market reform