Despite this, Mikhail Gorbachev was losing favor in his country. After being threatened by the KGB, he was forced to resign in December 1991. Jack Matlock, Ronald Reagan’s adviser on Soviet affairs, recalled how many blamed Gorbachev for the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However, that wasn’t the case. “He brought them democracy. He brought them choice. And he made one other choice, which was extremely, I think, important in Russian history: He made no attempt to keep himself in office by using force,” per NPR.
Source: https://www.distractify.com/p/mikhail-gorbachev-cause-of-death