Brezhnev Flashcards
how did brezhnev portray his cult of personality
as a leninist, military hero and committed to world peace
why did B’s cult of personality inspire cynicism
he wasn’t what he claimed to be - was mocked for it
why did B lose control of the media
growth in the black market,
what continuity was there from lenin to brezhnev with media
KGB’s policed political publications continued
why did the growth in the black market for media undermine communism
showed the west and a life with luxury goods
what did brezhnev keep very tight control over on tv
hid the truth and footage from the afghan war
why did media become a problem for B’s personal power
his speeches were filmed, showing him as a physically ill man struggling with his words
how did b end campaigns against religion
- reopened churches
- ended anti-religious propaganda
what percentage of people had faith under b
20%
how did b describe islam
as ‘progressive and revolutionary’
what did b open in 1968
institute for scientific atheism
what was b’s approach to religion
ended overtly hostile campaigns but still favoured atheism
what was the name of the cheka 1954-1991
KGB
what was b’s approach to the secret police
no return to terror - max control with min violence
who was andropov
head of the KGB
who were dissidents
intellectuals, political opponents, religious opponents, nationalists
why did b not like intellectuals
they had high status, had independent ways of thinking often coming up against policies
who was andrei sakharov
a nuclear scientist
what did sakharov do
wrote to b detailing irritation with the system and his policies
what did b do to sakharov
banned him from military research, from travelling and work
what methods did b use against the dissidents
- deportation
- arrest
- harrassment
- surveillance
- internal exile
how many dissidents were deported
10,000
why is sakharov an example of internal exile
in 1980 he was sent to gorky = random, underpopulated area of russia
what was set up in 1967
directorate V
what was directorate v
a branch of the KGB to deal with dissidents
why did the dissidents not pose a big threat
they were a collection of individuals rather than a group
what evidence is there that the dissidents didn’t pose a bit internal threat
1968 organised a public protest at the Red Square - only 7 turned up
how many dissidents were imprisoned 1965-67
171
how many dissidents were imprisoned 1968-1970
528
how were high profile dissidents dealth with
had permission to emigrate
how were low profile dissidents dealt with
psychiatric repression (repressive psychiatry)
what was psychiatric repression
how did the dissidents embarrass russia internationally
the records of court cases were smuggled into the west - so people could see their bad treatment and human rights violationw
what was social malaise
a loss of faith in the system
why was social malaise growing in the late 1970s
- standard of living remained low
- consumer goods availability is low
- bad employment opportunites
- bad promotion opportunities
what did social malaise lead to an increase in
- alcoholism
- poor labour discipline
- black market
how was the secret police used against social malaise
clamp down on alcholism and absenteeism = checks in factories, searches for missing workers
who visited factories in moscow in 1983
andropov - leader of the KGB
why did andropov visit factories
believed the way to deal with social malaise was to understand society
why did andropov’s visit fail
people were scared of him as leader of the KGB and he lacked charm
how did b target social malaise through changing the structure of the gov
promoted younger and new advisors who were more in touch with reality
what happened to culture under b
it became nostalgic
what was b critical about k over
his willingness to publish works that exposed the difficulties of soviet life
what did b attempt to do to art
revive faith and interst in the rev
what type of art what a source of national pride
the Bolshoi Ballet
when was the sinyavsky-daniel trial
1966
when were sinyavsky and daniel arrested
sept 1965
why were sinyavsky and daniel arrested
for producing ‘anti soviet agitation and propaganda’
what type of trial was the sinyavsky-daniel trial
show trial
what was b’s motivation for the sinyavsky-daniel trial
in 1965 a KGB report showed there were over 10,000 anti-soviet documents - b wanted to show the thaw was over
how many anti-soviet documents did the KGB find in 1965
over 10,000
what punishments did sinyavsky and daniel get
sinyavsky - 7 years labour camp
daniel - 5 years labour camp
why was the sinyavsky-daniel trial significant
- the only evidence against them were their own writings
- revived stalinist ways of dealing with issues
when was brodsky released from prison
1965
why did b release some artists who had been imprisoned in k time
international outrage at the persecution
how many dissidents recieved repressive psychiatric treatment
7000-8000
what was the impact of the prague spring on b
confirmed his view that cultural liberalisation was a danger
what was the impact of the prague spring on culture
- became more nostalgic - WW2
- increased pressure on artists to conform
