brezhnev GOVERNMENT Flashcards
when was Brezhnev in power?
1964-1982
what was reversed by Brezhnev?
the ‘Cultural Thaw’ - dissidents were persecuted (e.g. Solzhenitsyn was expelled)
what is Samizdat and Tamizdat?
the production of dissadent and Western literature - seen as dangerous
who did Brezhnev initially share the collective leadership with?
Kosygin, Podgryn and Suzlov
who was head of the KGB under Brezhnev?
Andropov
what of Khrushchev’s policies did Brezhnev reverse?
De-stalinisation
- re-centralisation of Gosplan and economic councils
- Stalins image improved
where were there social improvement under Brezhnev?
- housing
- some consumer goods
- education
what is the Brezhnev doctrine?
1968 - a foreign policy by Brezhnev stating the USSR will intervene in any socialist country that is under threat - in response to the Prague Spring (an uprising in Czechoslovakia)
why was there morale decline under Brezhnev?
under Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev the people worked under a vision of a utopia but Brezhnev believed this job was done which caused the soviet people to feel underwhelmed and become cynical
what happened to GDP under Brezhnev?
it initially improved but stagnation and courruption led to a lack of innovation & economic stagnation.
what state did Brezhnev believe communism had reached?
mature socialism
what was Brezhnev iconic phrase?
“Trust in Cadres” - cadres were people who held responsible positions within the party
what grew severely under Brezhnev due to corruption?
the black market
what were some significant examples of corruption?
- the great uzbek cotton scam (created by Sharaf Rashidov)
- the great caviar scandal
- the phantom factory scam
- the hotel scandal
what was Brezhnev’s daughter caught doing?
smuggling diamonds with Boris the Gypsy
