The Government under Brezhnev Flashcards
Khrushchev’s government was associated with…
reform
Brezhnev’s government by contrast focused on…
stability and restoration
Brezhnev’s first acts were to…
reverse Khrushchev’s most unpopular Party reforms
He also reversed aspects of de-Stalinisation and ended economic change
The emphasis on stability created problems - what were these?
- Stagnation
- Corruption
Under Brezhnev, the revolutionary aspects of Soviet society became less obvious - why was this the case?
- He believed that the revolutionary transformation of society had been achieved between 1917-1930
- Therefore the Communist Party merely needed to keep going on the course set out by Lenin and Stalin
Under Brezhnev, the Party became the ______ of the _____ ___ rather than a __________ force for _____
defenders
status
quo
revolutionary
change
During 1964 and 1965, the new leadership was based on an informal pact between…
Brezhnev and Kosygin, who together had a lot of support in the Politburo and Central Committee
The act between Brezhnev and Kosygin was designed to ensure…
government stability
Brezhnev and Kosygin ensured the two to jobs in government were not equipped by the same person - why?
- This was done to stop the emergence of an all-powerful leader
- Brezhnev led the Party as General-Secretary; Kosygin was Premier
The pact between Brezhnev and Kosygin held from 1964-1970 when Kosygin…
lost his job as Premier and Brezhnev emerged as the all-powerful leader
Brezhnev’s government was based on the policy of…
“stability of cadres”, or trust in cadres
What was the “stability of cadres” policy?
In essence the policy discouraged promotions or demotions in government
What did the “stability of cadres” policy replace?
Khrushchev’s policy of fixed terms which had been very unpopular with the Party
Why did the “stability of cadres” policy ensure support for the new leaders from government officials?
Because it gave them job security
Brezhnev reformed the Party, reversing Khrushchev’s key reforms - give an example of a key policy Brezhnev reformed
Centralisation
Brezhnev reformed the Party, reversing Khrushchev’s key reforms - such as centralisation. How did Brezhnev re-centralise?
Khrushchev had repeatedly tried to break up central ministries and decentralise government by giving more power to republics
Brezhnev reversed this and re-established the all-union ministries that Khrushchev had abolished
Brezhnev ended the split between…
industrial and agricultural wings of the Party
Article 6 of the new 1977 Soviet Constitution officially recognised…
The Party’s leading role in Soviet society
In this sense, it showed the superiority of the Party over the state
Brezhnev’s government reforms led to…
stagnation at the top of government - his policies meant that change in government was slow or non-existent.
What was Brezhnev’s style of government nicknamed?
Gerontocracy: rule of old people
Why was Brezhnev’s style of government nicknamed a gerontocracy?
As the government aged it became less effective
Brezhnev’s stability of cadres policy led to…
an increasingly static government in which there was little change
Brezhnev’s critics argued that his style of government created a…
generation gap between the government and society. Therefore they could no longer understand the society they governed
Brezhnev’s system provided no…
incentives to work hard
Under Brezhnev, _______ were rare. Opportunities for __________ were also very _______. This created a context for ________ _______
sackings
advancement
limited
massive
corruption
Corruption under Brezhnev
One form of corruption was to sell goods on the black market
In what sense was Brezhnev implicated in the corruption?
His daughter, Galina Brezhneva was able to get access to diamonds - one of her lovers smuggled lots of diamonds out of the USSR and was prosecuted after Brezhnev’s death
Andropov and Chernenko
Both were old and part of the gerontocracy
Andropov recognised the issues with the system and both men attempted reforms
Neither was prepared to introduce fundamental reforms
Andropov believed that the system was fundamentally stable but…
minor reforms were needed
Andropov believed that the USSR needed to become a more…
disciplined nation
In order to achieve his goals, Andropov introduced 3 main reforms:
Abandoned stability of cadres
Introduced small-scale reforms focusing on labour discipline.
Most important was the anti-corruption campaign:
Attacked senior figures and investigated Galina Brezhneva’s lover Boris the Gypsy
Andropov’s biggest achievement was…
removing old and corrupt officials
He also allowed a younger generation to rise in government
