The Government under Brezhnev

Question 1

Khrushchev’s government was associated with…

Answer 1

reform

Question 2

Brezhnev’s government by contrast focused on…

Answer 2

stability and restoration

Question 3

Brezhnev’s first acts were to…

Answer 3

reverse Khrushchev’s most unpopular Party reforms

He also reversed aspects of de-Stalinisation and ended economic change

Question 4

The emphasis on stability created problems - what were these?

Answer 4

• Stagnation
• Corruption

Question 5

Under Brezhnev, the revolutionary aspects of Soviet society became less obvious - why was this the case?

Answer 5

• 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

Question 6

Under Brezhnev, the Party became the ______ of the _____ ___ rather than a __________ force for _____

Answer 6

defenders
status
quo
revolutionary
change

Question 7

During 1964 and 1965, the new leadership was based on an informal pact between…

Answer 7

Brezhnev and Kosygin, who together had a lot of support in the Politburo and Central Committee

Question 8

The act between Brezhnev and Kosygin was designed to ensure…

Answer 8

government stability

Question 9

Brezhnev and Kosygin ensured the two to jobs in government were not equipped by the same person - why?

Answer 9

• This was done to stop the emergence of an all-powerful leader
• Brezhnev led the Party as General-Secretary; Kosygin was Premier

Question 10

The pact between Brezhnev and Kosygin held from 1964-1970 when Kosygin…

Answer 10

lost his job as Premier and Brezhnev emerged as the all-powerful leader

Question 11

Brezhnev’s government was based on the policy of…

Answer 11

“stability of cadres”, or trust in cadres

Question 12

What was the “stability of cadres” policy?

Answer 12

In essence the policy discouraged promotions or demotions in government

Question 13

What did the “stability of cadres” policy replace?

Answer 13

Khrushchev’s policy of fixed terms which had been very unpopular with the Party

Question 14

Why did the “stability of cadres” policy ensure support for the new leaders from government officials?

Answer 14

Because it gave them job security

Question 15

Brezhnev reformed the Party, reversing Khrushchev’s key reforms - give an example of a key policy Brezhnev reformed

Answer 15

Centralisation

Question 16

Brezhnev reformed the Party, reversing Khrushchev’s key reforms - such as centralisation. How did Brezhnev re-centralise?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

Brezhnev ended the split between…

Answer 17

industrial and agricultural wings of the Party

Question 18

Article 6 of the new 1977 Soviet Constitution officially recognised…

Answer 18

The Party’s leading role in Soviet society

In this sense, it showed the superiority of the Party over the state

Question 19

Brezhnev’s government reforms led to…

Answer 19

stagnation at the top of government - his policies meant that change in government was slow or non-existent.

Question 20

What was Brezhnev’s style of government nicknamed?

Answer 20

Gerontocracy: rule of old people

Question 21

Why was Brezhnev’s style of government nicknamed a gerontocracy?

Answer 21

As the government aged it became less effective

Question 22

Brezhnev’s stability of cadres policy led to…

Answer 22

an increasingly static government in which there was little change

Question 23

Brezhnev’s critics argued that his style of government created a…

Answer 23

generation gap between the government and society. Therefore they could no longer understand the society they governed

Question 24

Brezhnev’s system provided no…

Answer 24

incentives to work hard

Question 25

Under Brezhnev, _______ were rare. Opportunities for __________ were also very _______. This created a context for ________ _______

Answer 25

sackings
advancement
limited
massive
corruption

Question 26

Corruption under Brezhnev

Answer 26

One form of corruption was to sell goods on the black market

Question 27

In what sense was Brezhnev implicated in the corruption?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Andropov and Chernenko

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Andropov believed that the system was fundamentally stable but…

Answer 29

minor reforms were needed

Question 30

Andropov believed that the USSR needed to become a more…

Answer 30

disciplined nation

Question 31

In order to achieve his goals, Andropov introduced 3 main reforms:

Answer 31

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

Question 32

Andropov’s biggest achievement was…

Answer 32

removing old and corrupt officials

He also allowed a younger generation to rise in government