Brezhnev Government Flashcards
What was reversed when Brezhnev came to power ?
De-stalinisation
What policy of Brezhnev saw the east of Cold War aggression and tention ?
Detente
Why was Brezhnevs period of leadership regarded as fairly stable ?
No major reforms or decisions were made impacting the government
What negative thing grew under Brezhnev?
A disconnect between the government and the needs of the people ( lack of focus on the living standard / needs )
Why is Brezhnevs era regarded as a “era of stagnation “
Nothing positively or negatively happens to an extent
Nothing significant
What was the Brezhnev doctrine ?
Gave Soviet Union the power to intervene with the efforts of any country who were potential threats to the socialists
How did Brezhnev feel about his doctrine ?
“ any threat to the socialist rule in any state of soviet bloc in central and Eastern Europe was a threat to all of them”
What were two of breznevs quotes regarding socialism?
“ mature socialism “
“Trust in cadres “
When was Brezhnev in power ?
1964-1982
What was reversed by Brezhnev ?
The cultural thaw in which the was a crackdown in what was written about him
What areas of his gov were there improvements?
Housing
Consumer goods
Education
What does trust in cadres mean ?
Trust in the officials within the Soviet Union
What were the main aspects of brezhnevs gov ?
Brezhnev doctrine
Stagnation era
Drive for socialism
Why did Brezhnev feel ‘stability’ was needed ?
Lenin and Stalin had already completed the revolution and the party needed to resist change to succeed
What was Brezhnev’s ‘stability if cadres’ idea ?
Instead of using terror to control the party , he offered job stability for those within the party to prevent others growing in power through lack of promotion
What was Brezhnev’s stability of cadres or period of ruling known as
‘Gerontocracy’
“The rule of old people”
Why did Brezhnev’s stability if cadres lead to stagnation ?
Very few young people entered the party as a result of the stability of cadres which meant there was a lack of innovative and new ideas within the party
What was the negative aspects of the gerontocracy?
People stayed in the same job for years
No new and innovative ideas
No incentive to work harder as there were no promotions
What was the reason for Brezhnev’s moral decline ?
Lenin, Stalin and Khrushchev all drove for a ‘utopian vision’ and encouraged working hard for change , but Brezhnev didn’t drive for change but for stability
