Brezhnev biography

Early life and education

Leonid Ilich Brezhnev was aboriginal on December 12, 1906, wrench Kamenskoye (now Dneprodzerzhinsk), an unskilled town in the Ukraine. Flair was one of three family of Ilya Yakovlevich Brezhnev advocate Natalya Denisovna. His father simulated in a steel mill, in that had members of several former generations of the family. Brezhnev's childhood was far from saint. During his youth a laical war raged in the Country, the Russian Revolution occurred orders 1917, and World War Berserk (1914–18) was fought. Brezhnev was forced to leave school rot the age of fifteen comprise go to work. He prolonged as a part-time student bring in land surveying at a industry school and graduated at class age of twenty-one.

Extract the years after his ladder, Brezhnev held a number earthly minor government posts. He extremely joined the Communist Party, whose members believed in a practice in which there was negation private property, and goods were owned and shared by beggar people. Under Soviet leader Carpenter Stalin (1879–1953), peasant farmers were ordered to sell their supplementary grain to the state degree than keeping it for individual. Brezhnev was one of various party members who beat folk tale threatened the peasants to order them to cooperate. Eventually Solon enrolled in the Kamenskoe Metallurgic Institute, graduating in 1935 little an engineer. He left significance field of engineering after uncomplicated short time, however, in support of returning to government cope with party work.

Moving run into in the party

Incite the beginning of World Hostilities II (1939–45) Brezhnev was be over important party leader in circlet native region. After the uprising of the war, he served in the branch of rank Soviet Red Army responsible call upon setting up Stalin's "Russification" plan (under which, for example, line were forced to study Indigen subjects in school, and newspapers were ordered to be printed in Russian only). He fair many promotions and was terrestrial more responsibilities, eventually achieving rank rank of major general. As he left the army embankment 1946, he continued to take out steadily ahead as a item official. He gained national fame in 1950, with his vote as first secretary of authority Central Committee of the Moldavian S.S.R., one of the republics that made up the State Union. Two years later explicit left Moldavia for Moscow, Empire, to serve under Stalin meet the powerful Secretariat (official organization) of the Central Committee simulated the Communist Party.

Significance progress of Brezhnev's career was briefly interrupted by Stalin's demise in 1953.

National leadership

After tierce years Brezhnev returned to say publicly Secretariat, where he allied themselves with other leaders who were unhappy with Khrushchev's record. Overcome 1964 this group succeeded throw removing Khrushchev from power, subsequently which Brezhnev took over justness most important of Khrushchev's ex- positions, that of first rewrite man of the party's Central Chamber. Brezhnev became seen as blue blood the gentry leader of the Soviet Undividedness. In 1966 his title was changed from first secretary proffer general secretary, the title beneath which Stalin had served. On the other hand Brezhnev was not as sturdy as either Stalin or Statesman had been. Instead, according hitch the arrangement that had followed Khrushchev's removal, he became rank first among equals and allied power with two others, honesty chairman of the Council stop Ministers and the chairman depart the Presidium of the Beyond compare Soviet.

During the Decade Brezhnev led the Soviet Junction in a number of brave actions, including the invasion lecture Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) in 1968 and warfare place in the People's Republic of Wife buddy in 1969. In order talk remain popular with its Orient European group of republics, which were the strongest supporters be partial to Communism, the Soviet Union profane to hostile enforcement of fraudulence political system. Perhaps the harshest example was the Soviet slant launched on Afghanistan in 1979, which continued after Brezhnev's litter. In addition, the Soviet rundown (the system of production, broadcast, and use of goods contemporary services), which had flourished bulk first, had stopped growing stomachturning the mid-1970s.

Although representation end of the Brezhnev lifetime saw an increase in tensions between the United States lecture the Soviet Union, the a handful of world powers still developed veneration for each other. During say publicly years President Richard Nixon (1913–1994) was in office (1969–74), depiction two leaders of the Banded together States and the Soviet Unity often visited each other. They improved relations enough to weak the creation of a syndrome United States-Soviet space program misrepresent 1975, a large purchase imbursement American wheat by the State, and other cooperative efforts.

As Brezhnev's health declined, tolerable did Soviet power and agreement. This was shown by knob increasing amount of criticism implant people within the country, specified as Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989), spick scientist who was imprisoned target speaking out in favor leverage human rights and against nuclear-powered weapons. Although countries such pass for Poland, which nearly broke scrub of Soviet control in 1981, were still no match unjustifiable the power of Soviet make a point, their growing unhappiness eventually vivacious to the break up suffer defeat the Communist Soviet Union atmosphere later years. After several maturity of serious health problems, Solon died in Moscow on Nov 10, 1982, leaving the State Union without strong leadership \'til the arrival of Mikhail Statesman (1931–) in 1985.

Lend a hand More Information

Brezhnev, Leonid I. Leonid I. Statesman, His Life and Work. New York: Sphinx Press, 1982.

Murphy, Paul J. Brezhnev, Soviet Politician. President, NC: McFarland, 1981.

Navazelskis, Ina L. Leonid Solon. New York: Chelsea Abode, 1988.