Leonid Brezhnev
1906 – 1982 Soviet General Secretary of the Communist Party, Soviet leader
Long-ruling Soviet leader whose era brought stability, stagnation, and the invasion of Afghanistan.
- Affiliations
- Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Leonid Brezhnev helped remove Khrushchev in 1964 and led the Soviet Union for eighteen years. His rule brought stability and a rough parity with the United States, but also economic stagnation and a hardening of the system. He set out the Brezhnev Doctrine that Moscow could intervene to keep bloc states communist, which he enforced by crushing the Prague Spring in 1968. In 1979 he ordered the invasion of Afghanistan, opening a long and draining war that outlasted him.
Connections
- ally of Erich Honecker — Backed the East German leader within the bloc.
- ally of Erich Honecker — Loyal to Moscow and personally close to Brezhnev.
- rival of Nicolae Ceausescu — Pursued a foreign policy independent of Moscow within the bloc.
- rival of Nikita Khrushchev — Helped remove him from power in 1964 and took over as leader.
- rival of Nikita Khrushchev — Promoted him, then was removed from power by him and his allies in 1964.
- successor of Nikita Khrushchev — Brezhnev helped oust him and took his place.
- successor of Nikita Khrushchev — Helped depose Khrushchev and replaced him.
- associate of Yuri Andropov — His KGB chief, who succeeded him as leader.
- associate of Yuri Andropov — Served as his KGB chief and succeeded him as leader.
In the timeline
- 1968 Prague Spring and the Soviet Invasion the Soviet leader
- 1979 – 1989 Soviet-Afghan War the leader who ordered the invasion