The last Secretary General of the USSR. Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born on December 19, 1906, in the village. Kamenskoye (now Dneprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine) in a family of workers. Already in 1921, Brezhnev worked at the Kursk Oil Mill. In 1927 he graduated from the Kursk Land Management College, and in 1935 from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute. Worked as Deputy Chairman of the Bisersky District Executive Committee Sverdlovsk region(1929-1930), director of the metallurgical technical school in Dneprodzerzhinsk (1936-1937). Member of the CPSU since 1931. In 1935-1936 he served in the army. From 1938 he headed the department of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, and from 1939 he was the secretary of the regional committee.

During the Great Patriotic War Leonid Brezhnev was deputy head of the political department of the Southern Front; from 1943 - head of the political department of the 18th Army; from 1945 - head of the political department of the 4th Ukrainian Front. He ended the war with the rank of major general, awarded to him in 1943.

In the post-war years (1946-1950) L.I. Brezhnev took the post of first secretary of the Zaporozhye, then Dnepropetrovsk regional committees. Since 1950 he was the first secretary of Moldova. On XIX Congress party in 1952, on the recommendation of Brezhnev, he was elected secretary of the party Central Committee and a candidate member of the Presidium of the party Central Committee. In 1953-1954. he worked as deputy head of the Main Political Directorate Soviet army And Navy.

In 1954, at the suggestion of N.S. Khrushchev, Brezhnev was sent to work in Kazakhstan, where he first held the post of second, and from 1955, first secretary of the republic’s Communist Party. Since 1957, member of the presidium and secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. As a person enjoying Khrushchev's full confidence, in 1960 he was appointed chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In 1964, Leonid Brezhnev led a conspiracy against Khrushchev, after whose removal he took the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

For style government controlled Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was characterized by conservatism. He had neither the political will nor the vision of the country's development prospects. The economy showed trends of stagnation, which in the 1970s were compensated by a favorable foreign economic situation for the USSR. Economic reforms of the 1960s were curtailed, the growth rate of industry and Agriculture began to decline sharply scientific and technical progress slowed down. The Soviet Union was increasingly lagging behind the leading world powers in its development.

Gradually the party and political life began to become bureaucratized and formalized, which ultimately led to the destruction of initiative from below.

In the field of foreign policy L.I. Brezhnev did a lot to achieve political detente in the 1970s. US-Soviet strategic arms limitation treaties were concluded, which, however, were not supported by adequate confidence and control measures. The process of détente was understood differently by the American and Soviet sides. After the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979, this process was curtailed, and a period of growing tension in interstate relations began between the USA and the USSR.

In relations with the socialist countries-allies in the camp L.I. Brezhnev initiated the doctrine of “limited sovereignty,” which provided for acts of intimidation up to and including military invasion of those countries that tried to carry out internal and independent activities independent of the USSR. foreign policy. In 1968, Brezhnev agreed to the occupation of Czechoslovakia by troops of the Warsaw Pact countries. In 1980, preparations were made for military intervention in Poland.

Since the mid-1970s. health L.I. Brezhnev's situation deteriorated sharply, and by the early 1980s he was already essentially incompetent as a politician. His physical weakness and inability to lead the country and adequately assess the situation were used to their advantage during the struggle for power by influential members of the political leadership of the USSR. Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev died on November 10, 1982 in Moscow.

Brezhnev's life before assuming the post of leader of the country

“I was lucky enough to be born, grow up, and receive training in a working-class family, in a large working-class village. – This is how Leonid Brezhnev begins his memoirs, – One of the earliest, most powerful impressions of childhood is the factory whistle. I remember: it was just dawn, and my father was already in overalls, his mother was seeing him off at the door. A deep horn roars, which seemed to me to be heard all over the earth.”

L. I. Brezhnev was born in the village of Kamenskoye (currently the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk) in the family of Ilya Yakovlevich and Natalya Denisovna Mazalova. His father and mother were born and lived in the village of Brezhnevo before moving to Kamenskoye. In Dneprodzerzhinsk, Leonid Brezhnev lived in a modest two-story house on Pelina Avenue. Now it is called “Lenin’s House”. He began his working life at the age of fifteen. After graduating from the Kursk Land Management and Reclamation College in 1927, he worked as a land surveyor in the Kokhanovsky district of the Orsha district of the Belarusian USSR. In 1923, Leonid Ilyich joined the Komsomol, in 1931 - a member of the CPSU. In 1935 he graduated from the Metallurgical Institute in Dneprodzerzhinsk, where he also worked as an engineer at a metallurgical plant. In 1938, Brezhnev was promoted to his first responsible post in the Dnepropetrovsk regional party committee.

By nature, Brezhnev was not a careerist. He was distinguished by his calmness, loyalty to his colleagues and superiors, and did not push forward on his own as much as others pushed him forward. That is why he was never able to secure influential support. This affected his position during the war; he was not spoiled high ranks and awards. At the beginning of the war he was promoted to the rank of colonel, at the end of the war he was a major general, having advanced only one rank. By the end of the war, he had two Orders of the Red Banner, one of the Red Star, the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky and two medals. At that time, this was not enough for a general. However, after the war, with the help of N.S. Khrushchev, Brezhnev sharply advanced in his career, which he mentions in his memoirs.

Rise to power

In 1947 Brezhnev was nominated to the post of first secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk regional party committee, then in 1950 - to the post of first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (6) of Moldova. At the 19th Party Congress in the fall of 1952, Brezhnev, as the leader of the Moldovan communists, was elected to the CPSU Central Committee. For a short time, he even became a member of the Presidium and Secretariat of the Central Committee, which were significantly expanded at the suggestion of I.V. Stalin. During the congress, Joseph Vissarionovich first drew attention to the well-dressed 46-year-old party leader of the Moldavian SSR. According to contemporaries, the leader said about Brezhnev: “What a handsome Moldovan!”

After Stalin's death, the composition of the Presidium and Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee was immediately reduced. Brezhnev was also removed from the squad, but he did not return to Moldova, but was appointed head of the Political Directorate of the USSR Navy. He received the rank of lieutenant general and had to put on again military uniform. In the Central Committee, Brezhnev invariably supported Khrushchev. At the beginning of 1954, Khrushchev sent him to Kazakhstan to supervise the development of virgin lands. He returned to Moscow only in 1956 and after the 20th Congress of the CPSU he again became one of the secretaries of the Central Committee and a candidate member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. Brezhnev was supposed to control the development of heavy industry, later defense and aerospace, but all major issues were decided personally by Khrushchev, and Brezhnev acted as a calm and devoted assistant. After the June Plenum of the Central Committee in 1957, Brezhnev became a member of the Presidium. Khrushchev appreciated his loyalty, but did not consider him a strong enough worker.

After the retirement of K. E. Voroshilov, Brezhnev became his successor as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In some Western biographies, this appointment is assessed almost as Brezhnev’s defeat in the struggle for power. But in reality, Brezhnev was not an active participant in this struggle and was very pleased with the new appointment. He did not then aspire to the post of head of the party or government. He was quite satisfied with the role of the “third” man in leadership.

Having displaced Khrushchev in 1964, Brezhnev headed the party and played a primary role in implementing the new collegial policy of the USSR. Acting as a guarantor of the stability of the situation within the country. Once at the head of state, Brezhnev, as can be judged by his behavior, constantly experienced an inferiority complex. Deep down, he still understood that he lacked many qualities and knowledge to lead a state like the Soviet Union. His assistants assured him otherwise, they began to flatter him, and the more gratefully Brezhnev received this flattery, the more frequent and exorbitant it became.

Brezhnev in power

The removal of N. S. Khrushchev from the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee at the October plenum of 1964 became possible only as a result of the combined efforts of representatives of various party and state bodies, ministries and departments. Formally, the sole rule of Khrushchev was replaced by collegial leadership in the person of L. I. Brezhnev, A. N. Kosygin and others statesmen, heads of departments of the Central Committee and key ministries. However, soon there was a departure from the principle of collegial government. The first victim was A.I. Mikoyan, who was sent into retirement in December 1965, upon reaching seventy years of age. N.V. Podgorny became the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In the Secretariat of the Central Committee, his place passed to Brezhnev’s nominee A.P. Kirilenko. In 1966, the Minister of Internal Affairs V. S. Tikunov was replaced by Brezhnev's protege N. A. Shchelokov. In 1967, there was a change in the leadership of the KGB. Taking advantage of the flight of Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva to the United States, Brezhnev achieved the resignation of KGB Chairman Semichastny, who was replaced by Yu. V. Andropov. The death of the Minister of Defense, Marshal R. Ya. Malinovsky, led to changes in this department, which from 1967 to 1976 was headed by Marshal A. A. Grechko, Brezhnev’s military comrade-in-arms.

Serious personnel changes during this period occurred in the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. Of the 17 members of the highest party body, after 10 years only 7 remained in its composition. At the same time, Brezhnev had an absolute preponderance of his supporters here, the so-called “Dnepropetrovsk group”. All of them were united by work in Dnepropetrovsk, Moldova and Kazakhstan. In addition to Kirilenko and Shchelokov, among Brezhnev’s supporters were the leaders of the party organizations of Kazakhstan - D. A. Kunaev and Ukraine - V. V. Shcherbitsky, as well as the Secretary of the Central Committee K. U. Chernenko.

The position in the party also strengthened for Brezhnev himself, who became general secretary Central Committee of the CPSU.

Occupying leading positions in the party and government bodies, Brezhnev placed his supporters everywhere. V.V. Fedorchuk and S.K. Tsvigun were appointed as deputies to the head of the KGB Andropov, and N.A. Tikhonov, who began his career in Dnepropetrovsk, became Kosygin’s deputy in the USSR government in 1965. Brezhnev had his representatives in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense. At the same time, the Secretary General did not close all the levers on himself state power, leaving ideological work to M. A. Suslov, issues of external and internal security to Yu. V. Andropov, and to A. A. Gromyko foreign policy activities THE USSR. Since 1973, the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, internal affairs and the chairman of the KGB have become members of the Politburo. Thus, there is a merging of party and state authorities. The General Secretary's connections were clearly established with the first secretaries of the regional committees of the CPSU, with whom he contacted by telephone at least once a week.

Having strengthened his position in the party and state, Brezhnev spoke in the 70s. in the role of representative of the interests of the majority of the Politburo, not interested in new personnel changes, in changing the political system of Soviet society. Members of the Politburo now left their posts only in case of death. Their average age in 1980 it was 71 years. The ruling layer began to acquire the features of gerontocracy (power of the old). Although the leaders who replaced Khrushchev had differences, they were united on the main points. It was necessary to strengthen power and calmly enjoy the achieved position. Later they finally became convinced that trying to rebuild the system was very dangerous and troublesome. It's better not to touch anything. It was during this era that the formation of the giant bureaucratic machine socialism, all its fundamental defects were clearly revealed. Gradually, some of Khrushchev’s measures, which to one degree or another limited the nomenklatura, were canceled, and sectoral ministries were restored.

Political life was now much calmer and even more secret than before. Using his position as General Secretary (Secretary General), L.I. Brezhnev, who did not seem like a leader, became the main leader. Once again it became clear that under the dominance of the CPSU, the position of the Secretary General of the Central Committee is key. It was with her help that both Stalin and Khrushchev were able to “take away” power from their more prominent comrades.

During the years of Brezhnev's rule, the position of the ruling layer strengthened, and its well-being increased. The nomenklatura was still a caste that had everything special: apartments, dachas, trips abroad, hospitals, etc. She did not know any shortages, since she also purchased goods in special stores. That is why the propertied were especially interested in low prices: the more difficult it was for an ordinary citizen to buy something, the more valuable the nomenclature’s ruble was.

The nomenclature did not fully represent isolated layer from the people. Rather, they were numerous concentric circles, and the closer each of them stood to the population, the less power they had. Accordingly, an increasing number of positions and professions became the privilege of the nomenklatura, for example, teachers of higher educational institutions. And the defense PhD thesis began to be furnished with such complex rules, recommendations, directions that it was very reminiscent of the painful path of a medieval student to a master.

The upper layers of the nomenklatura were now increasingly replenished with people from the lower ones; for the most part, these positions were opened only for relatives and friends of high leaders. But those who had already found themselves in the corresponding circle began to leave it much less often: they were, as it were, moved from one leadership place to another. Because of the nomenklatura’s love for “warm places,” the number of officials in the country grew much faster than the total number of workers.

Relations within the nomenklatura system were characterized by veneration of rank, bribery and various “gifts”, displacement of talented people, appointment of only one’s own to positions (and in some, especially non-Russian, republics, sale of positions), etc.

The Brezhnev era is undoubtedly the “golden age” of the nomenklatura. But it ended as soon as production and consumption finally came to a standstill.

Brezhnev's reformist activities

The arrival of Brezhnev to the post of General Secretary of the party means a return to greater regularity in political life, which is expressed, among other things, in the extraordinary, compared to the previous period, stability in the composition of the country's leadership. During Brezhnev's 18 years in power, the Soviet government pursued a realistic policy, abandoning Khrushchev's “plans” for building communism in favor of the outwardly more modest concept of “developed socialism” as the stage at which, according to the leadership, the USSR is located. Deeply conservative in its own way political views, the Brezhnev “team” begins its activities by focusing on issues of economic development of the country and, in 1965, begins to carry out a number of reforms aimed at providing greater independence to enterprises. The result of these reforms is a slight increase in the standard of living of the population, especially rural ones, but after the first period of real growth in the country's economy, by the mid-70s, signs of stagnation appear, and the irremovability of the political leadership leads to the growth of the nomenklatura, concerned mainly with maintaining their posts and privileges.

The party's claim to a leading role in all spheres of social life is expressed primarily in its obsession with the idea of ​​complete control over the intelligentsia. The image of the omnipotent state begins to crack with the emergence of the phenomenon of dissidence, which seems to symbolize - although the dissidents themselves are negligible - the widening gap between government and society. In the international arena, Brezhnev continues to follow the course initiated by Khrushchev towards the development of dialogue with the West. The settlement of the status of Berlin, the recognition of the inviolability of borders in Eastern Europe and especially the first bilateral disarmament agreements represent tangible achievements of the policy of détente, which culminates in the signing of the Helsinki Accords. These successes, however, were seriously undermined by the intrigues of the USSR in Africa, and then by the direct invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, after which tension reigned again in international affairs.

Brezhnev's vanity

Even under Brezhnev’s predecessor, Khrushchev, the tradition of presenting the highest awards began Soviet Union party leaders in connection with an anniversary or holidays. Khrushchev, was awarded three gold medals Hammer and Sickle of the Hero of Socialist Labor and one gold star of the Hero of the USSR. Brezhnev continued the established tradition. As a political worker, Brezhnev did not take part in the largest and most decisive battles of the Patriotic War. One of the most important episodes in the combat biography of the 18th Army was the capture and retention of a bridgehead south of Novorossiysk for 225 days in 1943, called “Malaya Zemlya”.

Among the people, Brezhnev's love for titles and decorations and awards caused many jokes and anecdotes. After the war, under Stalin, Brezhnev was awarded the Order of Lenin. For 9 years of Khrushchev's leadership, Brezhnev was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree. After Brezhnev came to lead the country and the party, awards began to pour in on him like from a cornucopia. By the end of his life, he had much more orders and medals than Stalin, Malenkov and Khrushchev combined. At the same time, he really wanted to receive military orders. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union four times, which according to the statute can only be awarded three times (only G.K. Zhukov was an exception). Dozens of times he received the title of Hero and the highest orders of all socialist countries. He was awarded orders of countries Latin America and Africa. Brezhnev was awarded the highest Soviet military order “Victory”, which was awarded only to the greatest commanders, and at the same time for outstanding victories on the scale of fronts or groups of fronts. Naturally, with so many highest military awards, Brezhnev could not be satisfied with the rank of lieutenant general. In 1976, Brezhnev was awarded the rank of Marshal of the USSR.

The end of the Brezhnev era

At the age of 60, Brezhnev lived without caring about his health. He did not give up all the pleasures that life can give and which do not always contribute to longevity. Brezhnev's first serious health problems appeared in 1969-1970. Doctors began to be constantly on duty next to him, and in the places where he lived there were equipped medical offices. At the beginning of 1976, Brezhnev experienced what is commonly called clinical death. However, he was brought back to life, although he was unable to work for two months. Although the health of our leaders is one of the closely guarded state secrets, Brezhnev's progressive infirmity was obvious to all who could see him on their television screens. American journalist Simon Head wrote: “Every time this corpulent figure ventures beyond the Kremlin walls, the outside world carefully looks for symptoms of deteriorating health.

With the death of M. Suslov, another pillar of the Soviet regime, this eerie scrutiny can only intensify. During the November meetings with Helmut Schmidt, when Brezhnev almost fell while walking, he at times looked as if he could not last a day.” In essence, he was slowly dying in front of the whole world. He had several heart attacks and strokes in the last six years, and resuscitators brought him back from clinical death several times. The last time this happened was in April 1982 after an accident in Tashkent. Of course, Brezhnev’s painful condition began to affect his ability to govern the country. He was forced to frequently interrupt his duties or delegate them to his ever-growing staff of personal assistants. Brezhnev's working day was shortened by several hours. He began to go on vacation not only in the summer, but also in the spring. Gradually, it became increasingly difficult for him to carry out even simple protocol duties, and he stopped understanding what was happening in the district.

The end came in the morning during breakfast. Brezhnev went into his office to get something and did not return for a long time. The concerned wife followed him from the dining room and saw him lying on the carpet near desk. The doctors' efforts this time were unsuccessful, and four hours after Brezhnev's heart stopped, they announced his death. The next day, the CPSU Central Committee and the Soviet government officially notified the world of the death of L. I. Brezhnev.

Origin

Before 1950

1950-1964

Head of the Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee

1964-1977

1977-1982

Interesting Facts

Film incarnations

(December 19, 1906 (January 1, 1907) - November 10, 1982) - Soviet statesman and party leader.

First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 1964-1966, from 1966 to 1982, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1960-1964 and 1977-1982.

Marshal of the Soviet Union (1976).

Hero of Socialist Labor (1961) and four times Hero of the Soviet Union (1966, 1976, 1978, 1981).

Laureate of the International Lenin Prize “For Strengthening Peace Between Nations” (1973) and the Lenin Prize for Literature (1979).

Biography

Origin

Born in Kamensky, Ekaterinoslav province (now Dneprodzerzhinsk) in the family of Ilya Yakovlevich Brezhnev (1874-1930) and Natalya Denisovna Mazalova (1886-1975). His father and mother were born and lived in the village before moving to Kamenskoye. Brezhnevo (now Kursk district, Kursk region). Leonid Ilyich's metrics, stored in the Dnepropetrovsk regional archive, were confiscated. In Dneprodzerzhinsk, Leonid Brezhnev lived in a modest two-story, four-apartment house number 40 on Pelina Avenue. Now it is called “Lenin’s House”. And, according to his former neighbors, he loved to chase pigeons from the dovecote that stood in the yard (now in its place is a garage). Last time he visited his family nest in 1979, taking photographs with its residents as a souvenir.

He graduated from the Kursk Land Surveying and Reclamation College (1923-1927) and the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute (1935).

Before 1950

In 1915 he was admitted to a classical gymnasium, later a labor school, from which he graduated in 1921. Since 1921 he worked at the Kursk Oil Mill. In 1923 he joined the Komsomol. After graduating from technical school in 1927, he received the qualification of a 3rd category land surveyor and worked as a land surveyor: for several months in one of the districts of the Kursk province, then in the Kokhanovsky district of the Orsha district of the BSSR (now Tolochinsky district of the Vitebsk region). In 1928 he got married. In March of the same year he was transferred to the Urals, where he worked: as a land surveyor, head of the regional land department, deputy chairman of the Bisersky district executive committee of the Sverdlovsk region (1929-1930), deputy head of the Ural district land administration. In September 1930 he left and entered the Moscow Institute of Mechanical Engineering. Kalinin, and in the spring of 1931 he transferred as a student to the evening faculty of the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute, and at the same time while studying he worked as a fireman-fitter at the plant. Member of the CPSU(b) since October 24, 1931. In 1935-1936 he served in the army: cadet and political instructor of a tank company in Transbaikalia (the village of Peschanka is located 15 km southeast of the city of Chita). He completed courses in motorization and mechanization of the Red Army, for which he was awarded his first officer rank - lieutenant. (After his death, since 1982, the Peschansky Tank Training Regiment is called named after L. I. Brezhnev). In 1936-1937, director of the metallurgical technical school in Dneprodzerzhinsk. Since 1937, he was an engineer at the Dnieper Metallurgical Plant named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky. Since May 1937, deputy chairman of the Dneprodzerzhinsk City Executive Committee. Since 1937 he worked in party bodies.

Since 1938, head of the department of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, since 1939, secretary of the regional committee. According to some reports, engineer Brezhnev was appointed to the regional committee due to a personnel shortage that followed the repression of the regional party leadership.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he took part in the mobilization of the population into the Red Army, was involved in the evacuation of industry, then in political positions in the active army: deputy head of the political department of the Southern Front. Being a brigade commissar, when the institution of military commissars was abolished in October 1942, instead of the expected rank of general, he was certified as a colonel.

From 1943 - head of the political department of the 18th Army. Major General (1943).

Since June 1945, the head of the political department of the 4th Ukrainian Front, then the Political Department of the Carpathian Military District, participated in the suppression of “Banderaism”.

From August 30, 1946 to November 1947, first secretary of the Zaporozhye (appointed on the recommendation of N.S. Khrushchev), and then Dnepropetrovsk (until 1950) regional party committees.

1950-1964

In 1950-52, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova. At the 19th Party Congress (1952), on the recommendation of I.V. Stalin, he was elected Secretary of the Central Committee and a candidate member of the Presidium of the Party Central Committee (in both positions until 1953).

In 1953-1954, deputy head of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy. According to Pavel Sudoplatov and General Moskalenko, among about 10 armed generals summoned to the Kremlin on June 26, 1953 and not knowing about the impending arrest of L.P. Beria, there was L.I. Brezhnev.

In 1954, at the suggestion of N.S. Khrushchev, he was transferred to Kazakhstan, where he first worked as the second, and since 1955, as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the republic. Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 1956-60, in 1956-57 a candidate member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee and since 1957 a member of the Presidium (Politburo) of the CPSU Central Committee.

In 1960 he was appointed chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

In 1964, he participated in organizing the removal of N.S. Khrushchev, after which he headed the secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee.

Participation in the space program

In Brezhnev's Memoirs, written under his leadership by a group of journalists, Brezhnev, as Secretary of the Central Committee, is credited with leadership and coordination space program The USSR from its very appearance: for example, it is alleged that in 1957 he personally gave instructions to Korolev on how to carry out work on the launch of the second satellite.

L. I. Brezhnev claims that he personally chose the location for the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, resolving the dispute between supporters of the construction of the cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and in inhabited areas North Caucasus, and personally supervised the construction of launch complexes. He wrote:

Head of the Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee

1964-1977

Formally, in 1964, a return to the “Leninist principles of collective leadership” was proclaimed. Along with Brezhnev, A. N. Shelepin, N. V. Podgorny and A. N. Kosygin played an important role in the leadership.

However, Brezhnev, in the course of the apparatus struggle, managed to promptly eliminate Shelepin and Podgorny and place people personally loyal to him in key positions (Yu. V. Andropov, N. A. Tikhonova, N. A. Shchelokova, K. U. Chernenko, S. K. Tsviguna). Kosygin was not eliminated, but the economic policy he pursued was systematically torpedoed by Brezhnev.

By the beginning of the 1970s. the party apparatus believed in Brezhnev, viewing him as its protege and defender of the system. The party nomenklatura rejected any reforms and sought to maintain a regime that provided it with power, stability and broad privileges. It was during the Brezhnev period that the party apparatus completely subjugated the state apparatus. Ministries and executive committees became simple executors of decisions of party bodies. Non-party leaders have practically disappeared.

January 22, 1969 during the ceremonial meeting of the crews spaceships“Soyuz-4” and “Soyuz-5” made an unsuccessful attempt on L.I. Brezhnev. Junior lieutenant of the Soviet army Viktor Ilyin, dressed in someone else's police uniform, entered the Borovitsky Gate under the guise of a security guard and opened fire with two pistols on the car in which, as he assumed, the general secretary was supposed to be traveling. In fact, cosmonauts Leonov, Nikolaev, Tereshkova and Beregovoy were in this car. Driver Ilya Zharkov was killed by shots and several people were wounded before the accompanying motorcyclist knocked the shooter down. Brezhnev himself was driving in a different car (and according to some sources, even on a different route) and was not injured.

In November 1972, Brezhnev suffered a stroke with serious consequences.

In the seventies, a partial reconciliation of the two systems took place in the international arena. Thus, Brezhnev signed the Helsinki Accords (August 1, 1975) and the “spirit of détente” developed. On the political side, this was necessary to contain German revanchism and consolidate the political and territorial results of the Second World War. The Federal Republic of Germany had not previously recognized the Potsdam Agreements, which changed the borders of Poland and Germany, and did not recognize the existence of the GDR. Germany actually did not even recognize the annexation of Kaliningrad and Klaipeda by the USSR. At the same time, capitalist countries moved from the ideology of “containing communism,” proposed by Harry Truman, to the idea of ​​“convergence of the two systems” and “peaceful coexistence.”

1977-1982

In 1978 he was awarded the Order of Victory, which was awarded only in war time for outstanding services in commanding the front during victories that ensured a radical change in the strategic situation (the award was canceled by decree of M. S. Gorbachev in 1989).

A group of famous Soviet journalists was commissioned to write Brezhnev's memoirs ("Malaya Zemlya", "Renaissance", "Virgin Land"), designed to strengthen his political authority. Thanks to millions of copies, Brezhnev's fee amounted to 179,241 rubles. By including the secretary general’s memoirs in school and university curricula and making them mandatory for “positive” discussion in all labor collectives, party ideologists achieved the exact opposite result - L.I. Brezhnev became the hero of numerous jokes during his lifetime.

At the beginning of 1976 he underwent clinical death. After this, he was never able to recover physically, and his serious condition and inability to govern the country became more and more obvious every year. Brezhnev suffered from asthenia (neuropsychic weakness) and atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels. He could only work for an hour or two a day, after which he slept, watched TV, etc. He developed a drug addiction to the sleeping pill Nembutal.

In 1981, on the eve of Leonid Ilyich’s 50th anniversary in the party, a gold badge “50 years in the CPSU” was issued for him alone (for other CPSU veterans this badge was made of silver with gilding).

On March 23, 1982, during Brezhnev’s visit to Tashkent, a walkway collapsed on him at an aircraft manufacturing plant, full of people. Brezhnev had a broken collarbone (which never healed). After this incident, Brezhnev's health was completely undermined. On November 7, 1982, Brezhnev made his last public appearance. Standing on the podium of the Lenin Mausoleum, he hosted the military parade on Red Square for several hours; however, his poor physical condition was evident even during the official shoot.

He died on November 10, 1982 at the state dacha "Zarechye-6". The body was discovered still warm by security at 9 am. The first political figure to appear at the scene of death was Yu. V. Andropov.

He was buried on Red Square in Moscow near the Kremlin wall.

Family

Brother Yakov, sister Vera.

Brezhnev was married to Victoria Petrovna Brezhneva (1907-1995) from December 11, 1927 until his death. They had two children - Galina (1929-1998) and Yuri (*1933).

Galina Brezhneva was at one time married to Yuri Churbanov.

Memory

In the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk, where L.I. Brezhnev was born and spent his youth, on Liberators Square (formerly Oktyabrskaya) there is a bust of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, installed in 1976, as it should be in the USSR, in the homeland of the twice hero of the Soviet Union. On the building of Dneprodzerzhinsk State technical university on Pelin Ave., where L.I. Brezhnev studied from 1931 to 1935, there is a memorial plaque with the corresponding text and a bas-relief of the Secretary General. But on the house number 40 on Pelin Ave., in which L.I. Brezhnev lived, there is no sign. There is no street in Dneprodzerzhinsk named after L. I. Brezhnev. Back in the late 90s, the Brezhnevsky district of Dneprodzerzhinsk was renamed Zavodskoy. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of L. I. Brezhnev, the city council considered the issue of naming the city park of culture and recreation after him, but this decision was never made.

In 1982, the city of Naberezhnye Chelny (Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic), where KamAZ was built, was renamed Brezhnev. During the years of Perestroika (1988), the city returned its former name. In 2008, the BrezhnevFM radio station began broadcasting in the city on a wavelength of 90.9 Mhz.

In order to perpetuate the memory of Leonid Ilyich, the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of Ministers of the USSR on November 18, 1982 assigned one of the military-political schools (SVVPTAU) his name. The Sverdlovsk Higher Military-Political Tank and Artillery School bore the name of Brezhnev for only 6 years. In April 1988, this decree was canceled and the school returned to its previous name.

On September 16, 2004, a monument to L. I. Brezhnev was unveiled in Novorossiysk at the intersection of Sovetov and Novorossiysk Republic streets. The author of the monument is Krasnodar sculptor Nikolai Bugaev. Novorossiysk authorities note that Brezhnev at one time did a lot for the city, port, and shipping company. The sculptor depicted a young, energetic general secretary walking through the city in a suit, without awards, with a cloak thrown over his back. The working title of the sculpture is “A Man Walking Through the City.”

Earlier, in 2002, in the same Novorossiysk, the issue of naming one of the city streets after Brezhnev was discussed.

Currently, in a number of small settlements There are streets in Russia named after Brezhnev. In particular:

• The village of Izhulskoye, Balakhtinsky district Krasnoyarsk Territory;
• The village of Novoye Ivantsevo, Shatkovsky district, Nizhny Novgorod region;
• The village of Solonka, Nekhaevsky district, Volgograd region.

• On February 9, 1961, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev departed from Moscow for the Republic of Guinea on an official visit on an IL-18 plane. About 130 km north of Algiers, at an altitude of 8250 m, a fighter with French markings suddenly appeared and made three passes at a dangerously close distance from the aircraft. During the approaches, the fighter opened fire twice at Soviet plane followed by crossing the aircraft's course. Pilot Bugaev managed to take his plane out of the fire zone.

• The first New Year's television address on behalf of the leadership in the USSR to the Soviet people was first made by the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev on December 31, 1970. The following year, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council Nikolai Podgorny spoke with congratulations, and a year later, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Alexei Kosygin. The annual New Year's Eve address by the country's leadership to its citizens has become a tradition.
• There is a rumor that L. I. Brezhnev's peculiar diction is due to the fact that during the war he was wounded in the jaw, which was especially affected by age. According to other sources, Brezhnev did not receive a single injury during the entire war.
• In 1976, a bust of Brezhnev was erected in Dneprodzerzhinsk on Oktyabrskaya Square near the station. From this square, a green alley led down to the Dnieper to the square near the Dnieper Metallurgical Plant. On the square near the DMKD there was a monument to Lenin for a long time, and soon this alley was popularly called “From Ilyich to Ilyich.”
• In 1977, the film “Soldiers of Freedom” was released, in the last episode of which E. Matveev played the role of the young Colonel Brezhnev. This fact led to the fact that people began to talk about the revival of the cult of personality, this time of Brezhnev.
• Many anecdotes and comic poems were written about Brezhnev, for example the riddle:

• Brezhnev is the only person in the entire history of the USSR who possessed five gold Hero stars: one star of the Hero of Socialist Labor and four stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Marshal Zhukov had only four stars of Hero of the Soviet Union, while Brezhnev's predecessor N.S. Khrushchev had three stars of Hero of Socialist Labor and one star of Hero of the Soviet Union. To the rest of the Heroes in the USSR this title and Golden Star more three times were not awarded.
• Brezhnev is also the only recipient of the Order of Victory, whose award was annulled (according to the statute of the order, which states that only those who commanded the front during the war and made a strategic turning point in any operation, or the commanders-in-chief of the allied forces have the right to be awarded the order armies that made a significant contribution to the victory over fascism. Brezhnev, who spent the entire war in managerial positions in the political apparatus of the Red Army, had absolutely no rights to this order, especially in 1978, when the award took place).
• After the death of Leonid Ilyich, from 1982 to 1988, the city of Naberezhnye Chelny in the Republic of Tatarstan bore the name Brezhnev. It is characteristic that when the city of Izhevsk was renamed in memory of the former Minister of Defense Dmitry Ustinov, there was a bus route Brezhnev - Ustinov.
• Brezhnev loved to play dominoes.
• Brezhnev was a fan of CSKA and was constantly present at the hockey matches of the Spartak Moscow team, held at the Ice Arena in Luzhniki.
• A feature television series of the same name was filmed about Brezhnev in 2005.
• “The Secretary General, as a rule, came out of the carriage in a tracksuit and light boots. The leadership of the Kursk region met him on the platform. For some reason he often turned to me. He was interested in the village of Brezhnevka, where his parents were from: “How is the oak forest there?” Someone rashly said that they had cut it down, and Leonid Ilyich was upset. I remembered how, as a teenager, I waited with friends for girls who were carrying nuts in their hems. “And we squeezed their tits.” “Leonid Ilyich!” Leonid Ilyich!“ Chernenko admonished him.”

Film incarnations

• Evgeny Matveev (“Soldiers of Freedom”, 1977, “Clan”, 1990)
• Yuri Shumilov (" Black Rose- emblem of sadness, red rose - emblem of love", 1989)
• Mikhail Khrabrov (“Forward for the Hetman’s Treasures”, 1993)
• Alexander Belyavsky (“Grey Wolves”, 1993)
• Boris Sichkin (“The Last Days”, “Nixon”, USA)
• Leonid Nevedomsky (“Politburo Cooperative”, 1992)
• Bogdan Stupka (“Hare over the Abyss”, 2005)
• Vladimir Dolinsky (“Red Square”, 2005)
• Arthur Vakha (young) and Sergei Shakurov (old) (“Brezhnev”, 2005)
• Sergei Bezdushny (young) and Valery Kosenkov (“Galina”, 2008)
• ??? (“Wolf Messing: Seeing Through Time”, 2009)

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born on December 19, 1906 (January 1, 1907) in the village of Kamenskoye, Yekaterinoslav province, into a family of hereditary workers.

In 1915 he became a student at the Kamensk classical gymnasium. The training there lasted 6 years. In 1921, Brezhnev received a position at the Kursk oil mill. In 1923 he was accepted into the ranks of the Komsomol members.

A little later he became a student at the Kursk Land Surveying and Reclamation College. In the spring of 1928 he was transferred to the Urals, where he received the position of land surveyor. Until 1930, he replaced the head of the Ural Regional Land Administration.

WWII years

With the beginning of the Second World War, Leonid Ilyich actively mobilized the population into the Red Army. He also evacuated industry and held non-military positions in the army. Until 1943 he was head of the political department of the Eighteenth Army. Until 1945 replaced the head of the southern front political department.

In 1942 he participated in the offensive of the Red Army in the South Kharkov region. The operation was commanded by R. Ya. Malinovsky. For his courage, Brezhnev was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

In 1942 he received the rank of colonel. A few months later, he took part in the liberation battles for Novorossiysk and was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, first degree.

Beginning of a political career

A personal meeting with I.V. Stalin, which took place in 1952, became a striking event in Brezhnev’s biography. At the 19th Congress of the CPSU, Leonid Ilyich was elected a member of the Central Committee for the first time in his life.

In November 1952, he was elected a member of the standing commissions of the Presidium of the Central Committee. In 1953, after Stalin's death, he was relieved of both positions.

In the period 1953-1954 he served as deputy chief of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy.

In 1954, he accepted N. S. Khrushchev’s offer and was transferred to Kazakh SSR. There Brezhnev supervised the development of virgin lands.

In 1960-1964. served as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

In 1961, he took part in the preparation of the first manned space flight. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

Domestic and foreign policy

Getting to know short biography Brezhnev, you should know that in 1966 he took the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. A year later, Leonid Ilyich announced the concept of “Developed Socialism”.

In 1977, the USSR adopted a new Constitution. The role of the CPSU was recognized as the core of the political system. The idea of ​​“developed socialism” was also consolidated. After this, Leonid Ilyich joined new position– Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.

In May, the President of the United States, R. Nixon, came to Moscow on an official visit. During the bilateral meeting, an agreement was signed on the limitation of missile defense systems.

In November 1974, American leader D. Ford arrived in the USSR. The leaders of the two countries signed a statement confirming their intention to conclude an updated SALT agreement.

In June 1979, Brezhnev and D. Carter signed an agreement on the limitation of strategic offensive weapons. When Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in 1979, all contacts between the United States and the Soviet Union were curtailed.

Family life

Brezhnev was married to V.P. Denisova. He and his wife had two children. In 1929, daughter Galina was born. In 1933, son Yuri was born.

G. Brezhneva had an only daughter, V. Milaeva. She also has a daughter, G. Filippova. The fate of Brezhnev's great-granddaughter was very tragic. By the will of her relatives, she ended up in a psychiatric hospital.

Death

L.I. Brezhnev passed away at night, from November 9 to 10, 1982. In accordance with the medical report. examination, the cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest.

Brezhnev was buried on November 15, near the Kremlin wall in Moscow. Representatives of 35 states were present at the farewell to the Soviet leader.

Other biography options

• Brezhnev loved hunting. After the hunt, he personally divided the spoils.
• Leonid Ilyich was very fond of lingering kisses on the lips, making no exception even for representatives of his own sex.
• Once during a performance they brought him vodka in a glass. The Secretary General thanked him into the microphone, and then said: “And bring it more often!”

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev - Soviet statesman and party leader, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

Biography

The life of Leonid Brezhnev began in the village of Kamenskoye, Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine. Now this is the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk.

Leonid Ilyich was born into the family of worker Ilya Yakovlevich Brezhnev (1874-1930), who worked at a metallurgical plant. Mother - Natalya Denisovna Mazalova (1886-1975).

Brezhnev had a brother - Yakov Ilyich Brezhnev (1912-1993) and a sister - Vera Ilyinichna Brezhneva (1910-1997).

Brezhnev's birthday

Not everything is clear about the date of birth of Leonid Ilyich. According to one version, it is believed that he was born on January 1, 1907 according to the new style, according to another - on December 6, 1906 according to the old style. But December 19 was considered the official birthday in the USSR; it was on this day that his anniversaries were celebrated.

Brezhnev's nationality was indicated in various official documents, including his passport, as Ukrainian and Russian.

Education

In 1915, the future Secretary General of the USSR, who grew up as an ordinary street boy, entered the classical gymnasium of the city of Kamenskoye to study. After graduating in 1921, Brezhnev worked at the Kursk Oil Mill. Two years later, he joined the Komsomol and went to study at the Kursk Land Management College to become a land surveyor.

In 1927, he received a land surveyor diploma, which allowed him to work in his specialty. Brezhnev worked in the Kokhanovsky district of the Orsha district of Belarus, in the Kursk province and in the Urals - head of the district department and deputy chairman of the executive committee of the Biserti district council, first deputy head of the Ural regional land administration.

In 1930, Brezhnev moved to Moscow, where he entered the Moscow Institute of Agricultural Engineering named after M.I. Kalinin, and a year later he was transferred to evening training at the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute. At the time of receipt higher education Leonid Ilyich simultaneously works as a fireman at the Dnieper Metallurgical Plant named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky.

In 1931 he joined the All-Union communist party Bolsheviks.

After graduating from the institute in 1935, he received a diploma as an engineer in thermal power plants and worked as an engineer at the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Plant.

In 1935-1936 he served in the army: cadet and political instructor of a tank company in Transbaikalia (the village of Peschanka, 15 km southeast of the city of Chita).

He studied at courses in motorization and mechanization of the Red Army, upon completion of which he received his first officer rank - lieutenant.

Career

In 1936-1937 he worked as director of the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical College.

In May 1937, Brezhnev was elected deputy chairman of the executive committee of the Dneprodzerzhinsk City Council.

From May 1938 - head of the department, from February 1939 - secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolsheviks).

War years

During the Great Patriotic War, Leonid Brezhnev was in the active army: deputy head of the political department of the Southern Front, head of the political department of the 18th Army, head of the political department of the 4th Ukrainian Front.

He took an active part in the mobilization of the Red Army and was involved in the evacuation of the country's industry. In 1943 he participated in the liberation of Novorossiysk. He finished the war in Prague with the rank of major general, awarded to him on November 2, 1944.

On June 24, 1945, Brezhnev took part in the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow, walking at the head of the column along with the front commander, Army General A. I. Eremenko.

In 1945-1946 he was the head of the political department of the Carpathian Military District.

Political activity

From 1946 to 1947, first secretary of the Zaporozhye regional party committee (appointed on the recommendation of N. S. Khrushchev). He supervised the restoration of enterprises and the Dnieper hydroelectric station destroyed during the war. It was friendship with Khrushchev that became the “passing ticket” for Brezhnev on the path to power.

From November 1947 he worked as first secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk regional committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine.

Since June 1950 - First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova.

From October 1952 to March 1953 - Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

After Stalin's death he was removed from the party's central apparatus. In 1953-1954 - head of the political department of the Navy Ministry, deputy head of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy.

In 1954-1956 he worked as second and then first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. Here he is engaged in the development of virgin lands and actively takes part in preparations for the construction of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. He oversaw the development of space technology in the country and participated in the preparation of the first manned space flight, which was made by Yuri Gagarin.

In 1956, Brezhnev was again elected to the CPSU Central Committee, and in 1957 he became a member of the Presidium (from 1966 - Politburo) of the Central Committee.

From May 1960 to July 1964, he served as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Governing body

Brezhnev's path to power ended with a conspiracy against Nikita Khrushchev. Leonid Ilyich on his way eliminated all opponents and placed devoted people in key positions, including Yuri Andropov, Nikolai Tikhonov, Konstantin Chernenko, Semyon Tsvigun, Nikolai Shchelokov.

After the dismissal of Nikita Khrushchev, in October 1964, Leonid Brezhnev was elected first (since April 1966 - general) Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and Chairman of the USSR Defense Council. At the same time, since 1977, he was Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

The era of stagnation

The years of Brezhnev's rule are called the “era of stagnation.” Conservative tendencies prevailed in the country, and negative processes in the economy, social and spiritual spheres of society grew. The growth of bureaucracy and bureaucratic arbitrariness, corruption and embezzlement became the key epithets characterizing the power of the USSR during the years of Brezhnev's rule.

Periods of political detente in international situation, associated with the conclusion of a series of agreements with the USA, Germany and other countries, as well as with the development of measures for security and cooperation in Europe, were replaced by a sharp aggravation of international contradictions; intervention was undertaken in Czechoslovakia (1968) and Afghanistan (1979).

The USSR's participation in the Afghan conflict lasted almost 10 years and took the lives of about 40 thousand Soviet military personnel. Then the United States announced “ cold war“The USSR, and the Afghan Mujahideen turned into an anti-Soviet war squad led by the American leadership. Under the leadership of Brezhnev, the USSR also took part in the Vietnam and Middle East military conflicts.

The results of Leonid Brezhnev's reign resulted in the final collapse of the country's economy, which his successors were unable to restore. At the same time, many today consider the “Brezhnev era” better times For Soviet people. Perhaps because Leonid Ilyich did everything possible to soviet people for the first time they put on normal shoes and clothes, got housing and household appliances, purchased personal cars and improved their diet.

Illness and death

Since the mid-1970s, Brezhnev's health has deteriorated sharply; he suffered several strokes and heart attacks.

Leonid Brezhnev died on November 10, 1982 from sudden cardiac arrest during sleep. The death of the leader of the USSR occurred at the state dacha "Zarechye-6" and shocked the entire Soviet Union, which plunged into mourning for several days.

Brezhnev was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall. There is a granite bust on the grave.

Brezhnev family

The personal life of the leader of the USSR was stable. His only wife was Victoria Petrovna Denisova, whom he met in 1925 at a dance in the technical school dormitory.

Brezhnev's wife was a housewife, taking care of children, of whom they had two: Yuri and Galina.

Brezhnev loved hunting and cars; these hobbies helped him take a break from everyday work. In addition, Leonid Ilyich attended sports matches, the theater, circus, and attended ballet.

Brezhnev awards

Leonid Brezhnev - four times Hero of the Soviet Union (1966, 1976, 1978, 1981), Hero of Socialist Labor (1961). Marshal of the Soviet Union (1976).

Awarded five Gold Star medals, 16 orders and 18 medals of the USSR, orders and medals of foreign countries.

In 1978, he was awarded the highest Soviet military order “Victory” (the award was canceled by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1989, as contrary to the statute of this order).

Lenin Prize laureate (1979). Laureate of the International Lenin Prize “For Strengthening Peace Between Nations” (1973).

Brezhnev's printed works

In 1978 in the magazine " New world“The famous “Brezhnev trilogy” was published: memoir books “Malaya Zemlya”, “Renaissance” and “Virgin Land”, actually written by professional journalists. The circulation of each book amounted to 15 million copies, thanks to which Brezhnev became the most published writer in the USSR.

• Brezhnev L.I. “Speech at the XXII Congress of the CPSU on October 19, 1961”;
• L. I. Brezhnev. "Lenin's Course": Speeches and Articles. (In 9 volumes, 5523 pages) - M.: Politizdat, 1970-1983. Main article: Brezhnev Trilogy;
• L. I. Brezhnev. Memoirs (“Malaya Zemlya”, “Renaissance”, “Virgin Land”). - magazine "New World", 1978, No. 2, 5, 11;
• L. I. Brezhnev. Memories (Chapter 1 “Life by the factory whistle.” Chapter 2 “Feeling of the Motherland.” Chapter 3 “Small Land.” Chapter 4 “Renaissance.” Chapter 5 “Moldavian Spring.” Chapter 6 “Virgin Land.” Chapter 7 “Cosmic October” Chapter 8 “A Word about Communists”). M.: IPL, 1983.

Brezhnev. Video

Film for the 100th anniversary of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

Episode 1 Brezhnev on the way to Great Power

Episode 2. Equal among first, and first among equal

Episode 3. Ruler of half the world, tired of power