Political Stagnation

Question 1

How many people joined the Politburo between 1964 and 1971?

Answer 1

2

Question 2

What proportion of Central Committee members retained their positions between 1966 and 1971?

Answer 2

80-90%

Question 3

What was the average age in the Politburo in 1966?

Answer 3

58

Question 4

What was the average age in the Politburo in 1982?

Answer 4

75

Question 5

What was the average age in the Central Committee in 1961?

Answer 5

52

Question 6

What was the average age in the Central Committee in 1981?

Answer 6

62

Question 7

Why did the government become less effective as it aged?

Answer 7

~A rift opened up between the government and the people

~Senior officials became ill and uneven to perform their jobs

~The “trust in cadres” system meant that there was little incentive for hard work

Question 8

When did Brezhnev die?

Answer 8

1982

Question 9

Who took over from Brezhnev?

Answer 9

Yuri Andropov

Question 10

What were the three main reforms introduced by Andropov?

Answer 10

~He abandoned “trust in cadres”

~Economic reforms focusing on labour discipline

~His Anti corruption campaign

Question 11

What proportion of senior officials did Andropov remove?

Answer 11

1/4

Question 12

When did Andropov die?

Answer 12

February 1984

Question 13

Who took over from Andropov?

Answer 13

Konstantin Chernenko