Era of Stagnation - Government Flashcards
who took over after Khrushchev?
a leadership pact between Brezhnev and Kosygin was agreed, between them they had the support of the Politburo and central committee. they assured that the two top jobs in the government were not taken by the same person so no all powerful leader could emerge.
what did Brezhnev and Kosygin do?
they divided government posts between their supporters and ensured that party and state officials kept their jobs for long periods of time.
what happened to Kosygin?
in 1970 he lost his premiership so Brezhnev emerged as the dominant power.
what was ‘Stability of Cadres’?
replaced Khrushchev’s limited term policy that was unpopular within the party and replaced it with job security for officials. promotions and demotions were discouraged.
how did Brezhnev attempt to restore the party?
- return to full centralisation
- ended the party split between agriculture and industry
- 1977 constitution recognised the party’s leading role over the state.
what was stagnation within the government?
due to stability of cadres there was very little change within the government at all. Brezhnev’s leadership saw just 2 promotions to the politburo and 90% of the central committee keep their job.
what was the period of gerentocracy?
the government was aging, the average age of the Politburo went up to 75 by 1982. this led to a generation gap between society and the government. they were seen as being out of touch. they also became increasingly ill and unable to do their jobs. middle ranking officials were stuck in dead end jobs due to lack of promotion so there was no incentive to work.
what did the gerentocracy lead to?
massive corruption. the black market thrived and even Brezhnev’s daughter was involved when her lover smuggles thousands of diamonds out of the USSR.
when did Andropov come into power?
Nov 1982-Feb 1984
he was aged 68.
what did Andropov do?
he believed that only minor reforms were necessary and so he abandoned the stability of cadres, introduced small scale economic reform and led an anti corruption campaign that targeted senior officials.
when did Chernenko come into power?
Feb 1984-March 1985
he became leader aged 72 and was already ill
what did Chernenko do?
he was unwilling to consider major reform and due to illness he was rarely in government at all.
