He became the leader of the Soviet Union on 11 March 1985

Konstantin Chernenko, the ailing and old head of the USSR, passed away on March 10. He had frequently been too ill to attend Politburo sessions. Gorbachev did not anticipate being suggested for the position. In February 1984, he had already been passed up for the position and was 54 years old.

Gorbachev was proposed as Chernenko's successor by Andrei Gromyko, a seasoned Politburo member who had influence with the General Committee. He received a unanimous vote to become the eighth General Secretary of the Soviet Union. None in the Soviet leadership anticipated that he would be such a dramatic reformer. Compared to his predecessors, Gorbachev had a different approach to leadership.

At the 1985 Red Square holiday celebrations, he barred the display of his photo and promoted candid and free discussion at Politburo sessions. He would stop to chat with people on the street. Gorbachev was perceived by the West as a less belligerent and more moderate Soviet leader, but some Western pundits thought this was a ruse to lull Western governments into a false feeling of security. His wife was his closest advisor and assumed the unofficial title of "first lady" by accompanying him on overseas tours; this breach of protocol led to animosity because of her public presence. Georgy Shakhnazarov and Anatoly Chernyaev were two of his other trusted assistants.