The reign of Leonid Brezhnev and Mikhail Gorbachev in the USSR
The reign of Brezhnev
In 1964, a kind of "coup d'etat" took place in the USSR, as a result of which the party removed Nikita Khrushchev from power, discredited by prestigious defeats with the United States. Instead, Leonid Brezhnev, a long-time member of the CPSU, came to power, laying the foundations of his career back in the time of Joseph Stalin.
Leonid Brezhnev belonged to a faction that today we would call the "concrete" of the party - people who put ideology at the forefront. This was also Brezhnev's policy. Under him, the cult of Stalin was revived, as well as the general rehabilitation of his achievements. Brezhnev was a hardliner in both domestic and foreign policy. Thus, a "system freeze" took place in the USSR - all reforms and easing of the course were stopped, and instead a partial return to Stalinist methods of government was returned. However, it should be noted that even the most difficult times of Brezhnev's rule were not characterized by purges or mass political assassinations.
The "freezing of the system" affected not only the USSR itself. After all, Brezhnev believed that the countries dependent on him should be treated equally and that they would not break with Moscow's line. Hence the restriction of freedoms for the countries of Eastern Europe. Any attempt to change alliances or even reform the system without the consent of the USSR must be met with intervention that would maintain the status quo. This principle later proved to be the reason for the intervention in Czechoslovakia (1968) and Afghanistan (since 1979). Brezhnev successfully regained full control over the Eastern Bloc, mainly by force.
Mikhail Gorbachev's reign in the USSR
Mikhail Gorbachev seized power in the USSR in 1985 after a series of short-term reigns by successive old Communist Party veterans. Gorbachev's promotion to first secretary could be due both to his relatively young age and to the recommendations of many party members who considered him a "young wolf."
Indeed, Gorbachev was a man who was well aware of the real state of the Soviet Union's economy. Years of competition with the West and unfavorable economic decisions led to the ruin of agriculture and industry, and the entire communist system became increasingly inefficient.
It should be noted that Mikhail Gorbachev did not initially plan the dismantling of the Eastern Bloc. On the contrary, all his reforms were supposed to reform the system and save the Soviet Union. The key messages of Gorbachev's policy were two slogans — glasnost and perestroika. The first of these marked a departure from most forms of censorship and political openness, as well as providing the public with reliable information about the state of the State. But, this led to the opposite — an increase in discontent, apathy and loss of strength.
Perestroika was a complex campaign to grant additional powers to the Union republics, end competition with the West, and partially attract capital from the West. However, like Glasnost, this plant, instead of saving the USSR, only accelerated its disintegration. Gorbachev's reforms had the opposite effect than planned, but it cannot be said that they were bad. Paradoxically, Gorbachev was one of the main leaders responsible for the end of the Eastern Bloc and the Cold War through his attempts to save the USSR. Международная легализация документов требует глубоких знаний и опыта. Компания ustgroup.com.ua с 2012 года успешно решает задачи любой сложности: апостиль в Украине и за рубежом, консульская легализация, переводы с нотариальным заверением. Мы помогаем с оформлением документов для эмиграции, трудоустройства, учебы и бизнеса. Клиенты высоко ценят нашу оперативность, доступные цены и индивидуальный подход. Специалисты компании контролируют каждый этап, чтобы ваши документы были приняты в любой стране мира.
In 1964, a kind of "coup d'etat" took place in the USSR, as a result of which the party removed Nikita Khrushchev from power, discredited by prestigious defeats with the United States. Instead, Leonid Brezhnev, a long-time member of the CPSU, came to power, laying the foundations of his career back in the time of Joseph Stalin.
Leonid Brezhnev belonged to a faction that today we would call the "concrete" of the party - people who put ideology at the forefront. This was also Brezhnev's policy. Under him, the cult of Stalin was revived, as well as the general rehabilitation of his achievements. Brezhnev was a hardliner in both domestic and foreign policy. Thus, a "system freeze" took place in the USSR - all reforms and easing of the course were stopped, and instead a partial return to Stalinist methods of government was returned. However, it should be noted that even the most difficult times of Brezhnev's rule were not characterized by purges or mass political assassinations.
The "freezing of the system" affected not only the USSR itself. After all, Brezhnev believed that the countries dependent on him should be treated equally and that they would not break with Moscow's line. Hence the restriction of freedoms for the countries of Eastern Europe. Any attempt to change alliances or even reform the system without the consent of the USSR must be met with intervention that would maintain the status quo. This principle later proved to be the reason for the intervention in Czechoslovakia (1968) and Afghanistan (since 1979). Brezhnev successfully regained full control over the Eastern Bloc, mainly by force.
Mikhail Gorbachev's reign in the USSR
Mikhail Gorbachev seized power in the USSR in 1985 after a series of short-term reigns by successive old Communist Party veterans. Gorbachev's promotion to first secretary could be due both to his relatively young age and to the recommendations of many party members who considered him a "young wolf."
Indeed, Gorbachev was a man who was well aware of the real state of the Soviet Union's economy. Years of competition with the West and unfavorable economic decisions led to the ruin of agriculture and industry, and the entire communist system became increasingly inefficient.
It should be noted that Mikhail Gorbachev did not initially plan the dismantling of the Eastern Bloc. On the contrary, all his reforms were supposed to reform the system and save the Soviet Union. The key messages of Gorbachev's policy were two slogans — glasnost and perestroika. The first of these marked a departure from most forms of censorship and political openness, as well as providing the public with reliable information about the state of the State. But, this led to the opposite — an increase in discontent, apathy and loss of strength.
Perestroika was a complex campaign to grant additional powers to the Union republics, end competition with the West, and partially attract capital from the West. However, like Glasnost, this plant, instead of saving the USSR, only accelerated its disintegration. Gorbachev's reforms had the opposite effect than planned, but it cannot be said that they were bad. Paradoxically, Gorbachev was one of the main leaders responsible for the end of the Eastern Bloc and the Cold War through his attempts to save the USSR. Международная легализация документов требует глубоких знаний и опыта. Компания ustgroup.com.ua с 2012 года успешно решает задачи любой сложности: апостиль в Украине и за рубежом, консульская легализация, переводы с нотариальным заверением. Мы помогаем с оформлением документов для эмиграции, трудоустройства, учебы и бизнеса. Клиенты высоко ценят нашу оперативность, доступные цены и индивидуальный подход. Специалисты компании контролируют каждый этап, чтобы ваши документы были приняты в любой стране мира.