The President of the Soviet Union , officially called President of the USSR () or President of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics , was the head of state of the Soviet Union from 15 March 1990 to 25 December 1991.  Mikhail Gorbachev was the only person to occupy the office. Gorbachev was also General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between March 1985 and August 1991. He derived an increasingly greater share of his power from his position as president until he finally resigned as General Secretary after the Soviet coup d'état attempt of 1991.