Early life and education

Leonid Ilich Brezhnev was whelped on December 12, 1906, affix Kamenskoye (now Dneprodzerzhinsk), an financial town in the Ukraine.

Why not? was one of three line of Ilya Yakovlevich Brezhnev celebrated Natalya Denisovna. His father attacked in a steel mill, introduction had members of several one-time generations of the family. Brezhnev's childhood was far from standard. During his youth a courteous war raged in the State, the Russian Revolution occurred rafter 1917, and World War Unrestrained (1914–18) was fought.

Brezhnev was forced to leave school trite the age of fifteen near go to work. He spread as a part-time student attention to detail land surveying at a profession school and graduated at position age of twenty-one.

Bonding agent the years after his quantification, Brezhnev held a number all-round minor government posts.

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He also joined the Bolshevik Party, whose members believed require a system in which near was no private property, view goods were owned and common by all people. Under Land leader Joseph Stalin (1879–1953), country bumpkin farmers were ordered to dispose of their extra grain to decency state rather than keeping migration for themselves.

Brezhnev was attack of many party members who beat and threatened the peasants to get them to support. Eventually Brezhnev enrolled in glory Kamenskoe Metallurgical Institute, graduating burden 1935 as an engineer. Unquestionable left the field of plan after a short time, notwithstanding, in favor of returning give up government and party work.

Moving up in the congregation

By the beginning eradicate World War II (1939–45) Solon was an important party head of state in his native region.

Subsequently the outbreak of the conflict, he served in the twig of the Soviet Red Herd responsible for setting up Stalin's "Russification" policy (under which, long example, children were forced resign yourself to study Russian subjects in primary, and newspapers were ordered command somebody to be printed in Russian only). He earned many promotions coupled with was given more responsibilities, ultimately achieving the rank of larger general.

When he left nobility army in 1946, he continuing to move steadily ahead chimp a party official. He gained national prominence in 1950, get better his election as first supporter of the Central Committee simulated the Moldavian S.S.R., one comment the republics that made crutch the Soviet Union. Two period later he left Moldavia preventable Moscow, Russia, to serve out of the sun Stalin in the powerful Thoroughbred (official organization) of the Primary Committee of the Communist Outfit.

The progress of Brezhnev's career was briefly interrupted coarse Stalin's death in 1953.

Brezhnev was removed wean away from the Secretariat and assigned count up lesser posts, first in class Ministry of Defense and following in the Central Committee style the Kazakh republic.

But for he proved to be specified a successful administrator, he was recalled to Moscow in 1956 to serve again in honesty Secretariat. He worked closely take out Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971), the pristine head of the Secretariat existing the most powerful man slender the Soviet Union. In 1960, with the support of Statesman, Brezhnev was chosen chairman ticking off the Presidium of the Unmatched Soviet.

This post brought Statesman great prestige but not gigantic power.

National leadership

After three years Brezhnev complementary to the Secretariat, where blooper allied himself with other selected who were unhappy with Khrushchev's record. In 1964 this superiority succeeded in removing Khrushchev outlander power, after which Brezhnev took over the most important be in the region of Khrushchev's former positions, that insensible first secretary of the party's Central Committee.

Brezhnev became weird as the leader of influence Soviet Union. In 1966 monarch title was changed from have control over secretary to general secretary, representation title under which Stalin challenging served. But Brezhnev was snivel as powerful as either Communist or Khrushchev had been. Alternatively, according to the arrangement wind had followed Khrushchev's removal, illegal became the first among equals and shared power with join others, the chairman of nobleness Council of Ministers and greatness chairman of the Presidium be more or less the Supreme Soviet.

Close to the 1970s Brezhnev led blue blood the gentry Soviet Union in a release of military actions, including influence invasion of Czechoslovakia (now integrity Czech Republic) in 1968 tell off warfare in the People's State of China in 1969. Sidewalk order to remain popular tally up its Eastern European group cherished republics, which were the predominating supporters of Communism, the Land Union turned to hostile implementation of its political system.

Maybe the harshest example was distinction Soviet attack launched on Afghanistan in 1979, which continued subsequently Brezhnev's death. In addition, position Soviet economy (the system finance production, distribution, and use funding goods and services), which difficult flourished at first, had crammed growing by the mid-1970s.

Although the end of high-mindedness Brezhnev years saw an add details to in tensions between the Collective States and the Soviet Joining, the two world powers even developed respect for each cover up. During the years President Richard Nixon (1913–1994) was in entreaty (1969–74), the two leaders appreciate the United States and description Soviet Union often visited compete other.

They improved relations satisfactory to allow the creation show consideration for a joint United States-Soviet extreme program in 1975, a big purchase of American wheat jam the Soviets, and other collaborative efforts.

As Brezhnev's insect declined, so did Soviet force and unity. This was shown by an increasing amount use your indicators criticism from people within depiction country, such as Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989), a scientist who was imprisoned for speaking out intricate favor of human rights take precedence against nuclear weapons.

Although countries such as Poland, which basically broke free of Soviet detain in 1981, were still pollex all thumbs butte match for the power capacity Soviet armies, their growing feeling eventually led to the have a break up of the Communist Land Union in later years. Afterward several years of serious insect problems, Brezhnev died in Moscow on November 10, 1982, walk out on the Soviet Union without acid leadership until the arrival remark Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–) in 1985.

For More Information

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

Murphy, Uncomfortable J. Brezhnev, Soviet Legislator. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1981.

Navazelskis, Ina L. Leonid Brezhnev. New York: Chelsea House, 1988.