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Raisa Gorbachev (maiden name Titarenko) was born on January 5, 1932 in the town of Rubtsovsk, Altai Territory, in southern Siberia to a family of a railway worker. Her father, Maxim Titarenko, an ethnic Ukrainian, came from the Ukrainian region of Chernigov. Raisa Gorbachev's mother, Alexandra, an ethnic Russian, came from Siberia.

Raisa Gorbachev spent her childhood in Siberia and in the Urals region. She left Sterlitamak, Bashkiria, High School with Honors and was admitted to Moscow State University, Department of Philosophy. Upon graduation she was recommended for post-graduate studies.

In 1953 she married Mikhail Gorbachev. Their daughter, Irina Virganskaya has a Ph.D. in Medical Science and has also studied management. The Gorbachevs' granddaughters are Kseniya and Anastasiya.

For more than 20 years Raisa Gorbachev taught philosophy at university level. In 1967 she gained her Ph.D with a thesis on «The Formation of New Life Styles of Collective Farmers» (based on sociological research in Stavropol Territory).

In 1986 Raisa Gorbachev together with Dmitry Likhachev, the prominent scholar and member of the Academy of Sciences, and other noted leaders of national culture and science, set up the Soviet Culture Fund. This authoritative public organization actively encouraged the revival of Russian cultural heritage and public access to cultural and spiritual values. An incomplete list of cultural centers aided by Raisa Gorbachev includes: Our Heritage magazine, the Andrey Roublev Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Arts, Marina Tsvetayeva's Museum, the Museum of Private Collections, the Benua Family Museum in Petrodvorets, the Roerihs' Museum, etc. The Soviet Culture Fund contributed to the reconstruction of churches and public buildings, and was instrumental in bringing back to the Soviet Union works of art, libraries, and archives previously taken out of the country.

Raisa Gorbachev was also active in charities. She was engaged in the activities of the Children of Chernobyl Relief Fund, patronized The International Association of Hematologists of the World for Children, which helped introduce modern techniques of treating childhood leukemia in Russia, and acted as a patron to The Moscow Central Children's Hospital.

As required by international protocol rules, the wife of the President of the Soviet Union accompanied him during his visits abroad and participated in state receptions. Performing these representative duties with much dignity and tact, Raisa Gorbachev, as many state and public leaders from across the world recognised, made a notable contribution to the international standing of the Soviet Union and to improving it’s relations with many countries.

Raisa Gorbachev held honorary professorships in various European, American, and Asian universities. She received a number of public awards and prizes.

After Mikhail Gorbachev stepped down as President, Raisa Gorbachev helped him in launching the International Nongovernmental Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (The Gorbachev Foundation) and was actively engaged in the Foundation's diverse public activities.

In March 1997 she created and and was the head of the Raisa Maximovna Club, whose mission is to contribute to enhancing the role of women in public activities and in building a civil society in Russia. The Club's members are scholars, men of letters, educators, journalists, and deputies of the State Duma — the Russian Parliament. The Club holds scholarly conferences, organizes charity events, and supports specific public projects. Irina Virganskaya is currently the Club's President.

Raisa Gorbachev died on September 20, 1999, after a battle with the serious form of leukemia. She was buried at Novo–Devitchy cemetery in Moscow.