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Government of Khrushchev and Brezhnev - Coggle Diagram
Government of Khrushchev and Brezhnev
Brezhnev
Stability of Cadres
- reversed the 3 year term positions , more job stability for those in party , no promotions or demotions
Political Stagnation
1970-85 (changes to the government slow/ non existent)
Inefficiency - no incentive to work hard as no promotions (only 2 people promoted to politburo between 1964-71) , generational gap between leaders and society, too old and ill to perform jobs
Corruption - sackings and discipline were rare under Brezhnev and so corruption such as selling on the black market very common
Gerontocracy - stability of cadres meant no new young people joined government - average age went from 58-75 (Rule of old people)
Moral decline - soviet people less caring about socialist revolution dreams as Brezhnev said these had already been achieved, fall in membership growth from 7% (1965) to 2% (1973) – ideological appeal was drifting.
Restoration
- reversed Khrushchev's key reforms:
reversed de-centralisation by resestablishing the all-union ministries that Khrushchev had abolished
ended spilt between industrial and agricultural wings of party
Brezhnev Constitution - officially recognised Party's leading role in society and over the state
Leadership of Brezhnev and also Kosygin until 1970- Kosygin lost job
Khrushchev
Democratisation and Decentralisation (major government reforms)
Democratisation - designed to allow workers and peasants to join communist party, made party more representative of people in Russia
Decentralisation - economic powers shared to 105 new economic councils
Backlash- many communist officials demoted --> criticism of Khrushchev, 'Anti-party group' tried to remove Khrushchev but failed as he claimed only central party ( who liked him) had that power
Khrushchev's final reforms
Party divided into two groups: agriculture , industry
Fixed terms for party officials meant forced to move job regularly every 3 years
Khrushchev's downfall : Gave more power to party and so were able to remove him. After Cuban missile crisis, Corn Campaign failure
De-Stalinisation
Removal of Stalinist loyalists from senior party and replaced 44% of central committee - secured his own position in the party
Secret Speech - critisesd Stalin and his cult of personality, creating a dictatorship --> shock from the party who loved him
Ending Terror - prisoners under Stalin pardoned and released and amnesties for various classes of prisoners (2 million from 1953-60)
Problems with de-stalinisation- unrest in Soviet Union, revolution in Hungary , Khrushchev backtracked after critics said soviet people not ready to hear truth about Stalin