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Nikita Khrushchev
Chairman of the Council of Ministers -
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Leonid Brezhnev
General Secretary of the Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union -
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Era of Stagnation
This period began with high economic growth and soaring prosperity, but gradually significant problems in social, political, and economic areas accumulated -
The Brezhnev Doctrine
Novotny (Czechoslovakia´s leader) was replaced by Dubcek. The Czechoslovak government put into place reforms unprecedented in the Soviet sphere. So, in August, Soviet troops invaded them and reversed all the reforms. Dubcek was removed from his position and eventually expelled from the country.
Brezhnev made clear that the S.U. was determined to keep in place communist regimes that existed and would not allow for them to be overthrown internally or externally. -
Detente
Brezhnev began a series of discussions with the US to limit arms production. This began in 1969 with US president Nixon. Given the economic stagnation that the USSR faced, limiting the production f weapons was desirable. Also, this served to show the Us that they wanted direct peace with them and avoidance of nuclear war, despite they (US) supported socialist regimes.
After the Paris Peace Accord, US-Soviet relations seemed on the road to further improvement in 1973. -
Dissent
Soviet citizentry were increasingly emboldened to speak out against the government. Most dissidents used informal, unofficial publications to make their perspectives known. -
Political stagnation
Brezhnev showed very little interes in reforming the government or Party structure within the Soviet Union. -
Economic stagnation
Brezhnev had to contend with the failed agricultural policies that plagued the USSR. In 1972 the USSR suffered a series of crop falures leading to food shortages, and also they were spending a lot of money on its military programme.
He initially tried to introduce reforms that would promote the use of market forces to determine production, but this were blocked by harliners who feared that the USSR could shift to capitalism.
He also had to increase agricultural imports. -
Revolution and dissent
After the Portuguese revolution in 1974, their African terriotories were decolonized and this almost led to civil war in Angola and Mozambique. In Angola, the MPLA recieved assistance from the Soviets, and in Mozambique it was Frelimo that have been recieving Soviet support since 1960s.
In Ethiopia, the Soviets helped overthrow the regime of Haile Selassie and put into place a communist revolutionary government. -
Afghanistan
In place of the previous regime, the Marxist People´s Democratic Party of Afhganistan (PDPA) was put in power under Nur Mohamed Taraki, who was named president of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA). Revel forces called the Mujahideen began to oppose the Marxist PDPA. Although the largest group consisted of pro-religious forces, in reality the Mujahideen was a loosely-organized coalition of people who opposed the restrictiven, socialist nature of the regime. -
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Entr'acte: Andropov
After Brezhnev´s death in 1982 Yuri Andropov, former KGB lider and central committee member became the new member of the USSR. Andropov did have some ideas for change. He propose a solution to the economic stagnation: people needed to work harder and increase individual productivity.
Politically, Andropov tried to remove Brezhnev´s followers (and Chernenko´s supporters) and replace them with a new group of nomenclatura. -
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Entr'acte: Chernenko
After his death in 1984, Andropov was succeeded by Chernenko. Domestic abd foreign policies remained the same, as the gerontocracy spent its last days of the USSR.
It was his death in March 1985 that marked the real changes in the Soviet regime and signified the end of the Brehnev era. -
Glasnost
Was a policy introduced by Gorbachev that called for increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the USSR. -
Perestroika
The literal meaning of perestroika is “restructuring”, referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system. -
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Gorbachev
Gorbachev came to power after Chernenko´s death. Gorbachev attracted the attention and support of Andropov, who had also felt the need for changes in soviet society but knew that they would not be put into place during his tenure. -
Chernobyl disaster
It was a catastrophic nuclear accident. It occurred on 26 April 1986 in the No.4 light water graphite moderated reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, in what was then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). -
Demokratizatsiya
Gorbachev's Demokratizatsiya meant the introduction of multi-candidate—though not multiparty—elections for local Communist Party (CPSU) and Soviets. In this way, he hoped to rejuvenate the party with progressive personnel who would carry out his institutional and policy reforms. -
Foreign Policies
The USSR:
-engaged in a policy of non-intervention with the Warsaw Pact countries
- made the desition to withdraw from Afgh.
-improved the relationship with the USA
- agreed to reduce their stockpile of nuclear arms.