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. He worked as deputy chairman of the Bisersky district executive committee of the 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. Since 1938, he headed the department of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, and since 1939 - 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 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. At the 19th Party Congress 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.
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev's style of government 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 technological 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.
Leonid Brezhnev was born in 1906 in Ukraine in Kamenskoye (now Dneprodzerzhinsk, Dnepropetrovsk region). In 1923 he joined the Komsomol. He graduated from the Kursk Land Management College in 1927 and the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute in 1935.
He received the profession of land surveyor and engineer, and later became closely involved in party work...
"Handsome Moldovan"
In Moscow, at the 19th Party Congress, Stalin drew attention to the tall and healthy Brezhnev. At that time he served as head of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Moldova. 
According to contemporaries, the leader said about Brezhnev: “What a handsome Moldovan!”
War and "Little Land"
During the Great Patriotic War, Brezhnev was a political worker in the Red Army, participating in the mobilization of the population and the transfer of industry to the rear. 
First, Brezhnev was given the rank of colonel, then major general. By the end of the war, he was the head of the political department of the 4th Ukrainian Front. 
In 1943, Soviet troops recaptured a piece of land near Novorossiysk from a numerically superior enemy and held it for 225 days. This place was called “Small Land”. 
This episode of the Second World War became famous after the release of Brezhnev’s memoirs, which stated that he participated in the defense of “Malaya Zemlya.” According to historians, this episode in the book was significantly embellished.
The role of Khrushchev in Brezhnev's career
In Brezhnev's promotion career ladder Nikita Khrushchev played a significant role. In the late 1930s, Brezhnev quickly rose through the ranks of the party bodies of the Dnepropetrovsk region. Khrushchev at that time was the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. 
In the 1950s, Khrushchev helped Brezhnev get into the central bodies of the party, first he led the Central Committee of the party in Moldova, then in Kazakhstan. In addition, Brezhnev participated in the arrest of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Lavrenty Beria, accused of spying for foreign countries.
In 1957, Brezhnev became a member of the Politburo of the CPSU, and in 1960 he was appointed chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In the 1950s, Brezhnev supported Khrushchev, but in 1964 he participated in a conspiracy against him and replaced him as head of state. 
“Khrushchev debunked the cult of Stalin after his death, and we debunked the cult of Khrushchev during his lifetime,” Brezhnev later said.
Brezhnev and the plane
In 1961, when Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Brezhnev was flying on a visit to Guinea and Ghana, fighter jets appeared in the sky next to his Il-18 plane. At first, Brezhnev thought it was an honorary escort, but the fighters began shooting. Pilot Boris Bugaev was able to take the plane out of the fire, and Brezhnev was not injured. 
Brezhnev's memoirs
At the end of the 1970s, Brezhnev’s memoirs were published - a trilogy consisting of the books “Malaya Zemlya”, “Renaissance” and “Virgin Land”. It was believed that their author was Leonid Ilyich himself, but in fact the books were written by essayist Anatoly Agranovsky, Izvestia publicist Arkady Sakhnin and Pravda newspaper correspondent Alexander Murzin. 
Several other journalists also took part in the book's release. Brezhnev's memoirs were included in school curriculum on literature. For his memoirs, Brezhnev received the Lenin Prize and a fee of 180 thousand rubles, but the compilers did not receive any money, although Murzin and Sakhnin were awarded orders.
Brezhnev and the kiss on the Berlin Wall
Brezhnev liked to greet politicians with a kiss. First he kissed them on one cheek, then on the other, and then on the lips. This kiss was called “triple Brezhnev.” 
Among those whom Brezhnev kissed were Yugoslav leader Joseph Broz Tito, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and even US President Jimmy Carter. In addition, Brezhnev tried to kiss the head of Romania, Nicolae Ceausescu, and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, but was unsuccessful. 
Brezhnev's kiss with East German leader Eric Honecker was depicted by artist Dmitry Vrubel on the Berlin Wall in 1990. The artist called the work “Lord! Help me survive among this mortal love."
In 2009, the graffiti was washed off the wall for restoration, but Vrubel painted his work anew.
"The Age of Stagnation"
The time when Brezhnev led the USSR was first called the period of “developed socialism”, and later – the “era of stagnation”. This period was characterized by the absence of political upheavals. 
Construction was underway, industry and science were developing. The standard of living of the population has increased. At the same time, the economy of the USSR, although it was stable, was stagnant and lagged behind the economies of foreign countries in terms of development. Trade in scarce goods “under the counter” flourished. 
The political course after the “thaw” became more rigid, and persecution of dissidents began. At the same time, party officials were aging; young people were not replacing them. The level of corruption has increased and the bureaucracy has grown. In addition, the level of alcohol production and consumption has increased.
Clinical death
In 1976, Brezhnev experienced clinical death and for several months after that I could not work normally. Resuscitation doctors began to constantly monitor him. The Secretary General's speech and thinking were impaired, and he began to go deaf. 
In addition, Brezhnev suffered several heart attacks and strokes during his life. His health condition was no secret to the people as people often saw him on television.
Brezhnev and the entry of troops into Czechoslovakia
In 1968, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubcek, began a reform to democratize the country and decentralize administrative power. 
Dubcek promised to give the people of Czechoslovakia democratic freedoms, and the country's intelligentsia supported him. This period was called the “Prague Spring”. 
Brezhnev, in turn, sharply condemned Dubcek’s reforms, believing that socialist countries should not deviate from general principles socialism. On this basis, the USSR sent its troops into the country, after which the reforms were practically curtailed. In addition, Warsaw Pact countries brought troops into the country. 
Failed assassination attempt on Brezhnev
On January 22, 1969, during a meeting of cosmonauts, junior lieutenant Viktor Ilyin tried to assassinate Brezhnev. Wearing a stolen police uniform, he stood in a police cordon and, when a motorcade passed by, began shooting. 
Ilyin thought that the Secretary General himself was in the car, but in fact there were cosmonauts Leonov, Tereshkova, Beregovoy and Nikolaev in it. Ilyin killed the driver and wounded the astronauts.
An escort motorcyclist was also wounded, who rode in the direction of Ilyin and blocked the motorcade. Ilyin was detained. Brezhnev was not injured - he was driving in another car separately from the motorcade.
In addition, in 1977 and 1978, the KGB had information that attempts were being made on Brezhnev’s life during his visits to France and Germany. They were prevented from entering, and the visits went smoothly.
Brezhnev and New Year
Brezhnev started the tradition of congratulating the people on the New Year. He made his first televised congratulations on December 31, 1970. 
This tradition still exists, and every year state leaders address the people on New Year's Eve.
Bad habits
Brezhnev always loved to smoke, and when he was forbidden to do so for health reasons, he forced others to smoke and inhaled tobacco smoke. IN last years, according to the memoirs of contemporaries, 
Brezhnev became addicted to strong sleeping pills and could take four or five tablets at night.
Afghan war
By 1979, Afghanistan was led by a pro-Soviet government opposed by the Mujahideen. The country's leadership asked the USSR for military assistance; Soviet senior officials decided to use this request in order to prevent forces hostile to the USSR from coming to power in Afghanistan. 
Brezhnev agreed to this. He thought that the campaign would not last long, but the war dragged on for ten years. Over the years Soviet Union lost approximately 15 thousand soldiers. Victory was not achieved in this way, and although USSR troops controlled the cities and carried out large-scale military operations, many Afghans helped the Mujahideen. 
The USSR intervened in the civil war, but achieved nothing; Soviet troops had to be withdrawn from the country. Civil War in Afghanistan continues to this day.
Awards
Brezhnev had more than a hundred different awards, including international ones. He had four "Gold Stars" of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and was also a Hero of Socialist Labor. 
In recent years, Brezhnev rejoiced at awards like a child. Brezhnev was also awarded the Order of Victory, which was awarded for outstanding success in leading large-scale military operations. 
In 1989, Gorbachev signed a decree depriving Brezhnev of this order posthumously due to the fact that the award contradicted the status of the order.
Brezhnev's funeral
On November 10, the day of the Secretary General’s death, the concert was canceled, dedicated to the Day police. At the same time, the country was informed about Brezhnev’s death only two days later. 
The funeral of the Secretary General in 1982 was the most pompous since Stalin's, it was attended by a huge number of guests, including international ones. 
The funeral event on Red Square was attended by the highest officials of the Communist Party and the state. Delegations from many countries of the world, not only socialist ones, also came to the funeral. 
Present, in particular, were the Chairman of the Cuban State Council Fidel Castro and US Vice President George H. W. Bush. Radio and television broadcast the ceremony live. 
Soviet statesman and party leader, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born according to the new style on January 1, 1907. But in the USSR it was officially his birthday (old style), and his anniversaries were always celebrated on December 19, perhaps to avoid coincidence with the New Year.
He was born in the village of Kamenskoye (now the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk) in the Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine in a working-class family.
In 1927 he graduated from the Kursk Land Management College, in 1935 from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute.
After graduating from the Kursk Land Management College in 1927, he worked as a land surveyor 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 Bisertsky district council, first deputy head of the Ural regional land administration.
Member of the CPSU(b)/CPSU since 1931.
After graduating from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute in 1935, he worked as an engineer at the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Plant.
In 1935-1936 he passed the active military service as a political instructor of a tank company in the Trans-Baikal Military District.
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 (b) of Ukraine.
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 finished the war in Prague with the rank of major general.
In 1945-1946 he was the head of the political department of the Carpathian Military District.
From August 1946, Brezhnev was the first secretary of Zaporozhye, and from November 1947, the 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.
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.
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.
Received the name "stagnation" in the literature. Conservative tendencies prevailed in the country, and negative processes in the economy, social and spiritual spheres of society grew. Periods of easing tension 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).
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.
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).
Since the mid-1970s, Brezhnev's health has deteriorated sharply; he suffered several strokes and heart attacks.
Leonid Brezhnev. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall. There is a granite bust on the grave.
A bronze bust of Leonid Brezhnev was installed in the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk. In 2004, a monument to Brezhnev was unveiled in the hero city of Novorossiysk. Another bust of Brezhnev was installed in Vladimir. After Brezhnev’s death in Moscow, at house 26 on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, where he lived, a Memorial plaque(dismantled in December 1988).
From 1982 to 1988, the city of Naberezhnye Chelny (Tatarstan) was named after Brezhnev; districts in Moscow and Dneprodzerzhinsk were named after Brezhnev. His name was given to the Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant, the Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant production association, the Novorossiysk Cement Plant, and the Volgodonsk Atommash Production Association. All titles were canceled in 1988.
Leonid Brezhnev was married to Victoria Petrovna Brezhneva (1907-1995). They had two children - Galina (1929-1998) and Yuri (born 1933).
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Soviet statesman and party leader, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born according to the new style on January 1, 1907. But in the USSR it was officially his birthday (old style), and his anniversaries were always celebrated on December 19, perhaps to avoid coincidence with the New Year.
He was born in the village of Kamenskoye (now the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk) in the Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine in a working-class family.
In 1927 he graduated from the Kursk Land Management College, in 1935 from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute.
After graduating from the Kursk Land Management College in 1927, he worked as a land surveyor 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 Bisertsky district council, first deputy head of the Ural regional land administration.
Member of the CPSU(b)/CPSU since 1931.
After graduating from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute in 1935, he worked as an engineer at the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Plant.
In 1935-1936 he served in active military service as a political commissar of a tank company in the Trans-Baikal Military District.
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 (b) of Ukraine.
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 finished the war in Prague with the rank of major general.
In 1945-1946 he was the head of the political department of the Carpathian Military District.
From August 1946, Brezhnev was the first secretary of Zaporozhye, and from November 1947, the 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.
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.
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.
Received the name "stagnation" in the literature. Conservative tendencies prevailed in the country, and negative processes in the economy, social and spiritual spheres of society grew. Periods of easing tension in the 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 followed by a sharp aggravation of international contradictions; intervention was undertaken in Czechoslovakia (1968) and Afghanistan (1979).
In 1978, the magazine “New World” published the famous “Brezhnev trilogy”: memoir books “Little Earth”, “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.
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).
Since the mid-1970s, Brezhnev's health has deteriorated sharply; he suffered several strokes and heart attacks.
Leonid Brezhnev. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin wall. There is a granite bust on the grave.
A bronze bust of Leonid Brezhnev was installed in the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk. In 2004, a monument to Brezhnev was unveiled in the hero city of Novorossiysk. Another bust of Brezhnev was installed in Vladimir. After Brezhnev's death in Moscow, a memorial plaque was installed at house 26 on Kutuzovsky Prospekt, where he lived (dismantled in December 1988).
From 1982 to 1988, the city of Naberezhnye Chelny (Tatarstan) was named after Brezhnev; districts in Moscow and Dneprodzerzhinsk were named after Brezhnev. His name was given to the Oskol Electrometallurgical Plant, the Yuzhny Machine-Building Plant production association, the Novorossiysk Cement Plant, and the Volgodonsk Atommash Production Association. All titles were canceled in 1988.
Leonid Brezhnev was married to Victoria Petrovna Brezhneva (1907-1995). They had two children - Galina (1929-1998) and Yuri (born 1933).
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Leonid Brezhnev - famous political leader, who carried out his active work in Soviet time. He spent almost 20 years at the heights of power in the Soviet Union, first as Secretary General Central Committee of the CPSU, and then as head of the USSR.
The "Brezhnev era" was marked by stagnation, as the country's economy was completely destroyed due to failed reforms, which subsequently led to the collapse of the Union. Brezhnev's reign modern Russia is assessed differently in society - some consider it the best ruler XX century, and others even today offer him sarcasm “words of gratitude” for the collapse of the country, which became inevitable following the reign of Leonid Ilyich.
Childhood and youth
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born on December 19, 1906 in the village of Kolomenskoye in the Yekaterinoslav province, which today has become the Ukrainian metallurgical city of Dneprodzerzhinsk in the Dnepropetrovsk region. His parents, Ilya Yakovlevich and Natalya Denisovna, were ordinary working people. The future leader of the USSR was the first-born in the family; later he had a younger sister, Vera, and a brother, Yakov. The Brezhnev family lived in modest conditions in a small apartment, but the children were surrounded by the love and care of their parents, who tried to compensate them for their material benefits with their attention.
Leonid Ilyich’s childhood was essentially not very different from the children of that time; he grew up as an ordinary yard boy who loved to chase pigeons. In 1915, the future politician entered a classical gymnasium, and immediately after graduating in 1921 he went to work at an oil mill. In two years labor activity Brezhnev joined the Komsomol and then went to study at a local technical school to become a land surveyor. In 1927, he received a land surveyor diploma, which allowed him to work in his specialty, first in the Kursk province, and then in the Urals as the first deputy head of the district land administration.
In 1930, Leonid Ilyich moved to Moscow, where he entered the local Agricultural Institute of Mechanical Engineering, and a year later transferred to evening studies at the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute. At the time of receipt higher education The future politician simultaneously works as a fireman at the Dnieper Metallurgical Plant. Then he joined the All-Union Communist Party of the Bolsheviks.
After graduating from the institute in 1935 and receiving an engineering diploma, Leonid Brezhnev went to serve in the army, where he received his first officer rank Lieutenant Having repaid his debt to his homeland, the future head of the USSR returned to his native Dneprodzerzhinsk and became the director of the metallurgical technical school. In 1937, the biography of Leonid Brezhnev completely switched to politics, which he was actively involved in until the end of his days.
Party activities
Political career Leonid Brezhnev began as the head of a department of the regional committee of the Communist Party in Dnepropetrovsk. That period of Brezhnev’s activity fell on the years of the Great Patriotic War. Then he took an active part in the mobilization of the Red Army and was involved in the evacuation of the country's industry. He then served in political positions in the active army, for which he was awarded the rank of major general.
In the post-war years, the future head of the USSR was engaged in the restoration of enterprises destroyed during the war, while paying attention to party activities, holding the post of first secretary of the regional committee of the Zaporozhye Communist Party, where he was appointed on the recommendation of the first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev, with whom he had by that time established trust relationship. Friendship with Khrushchev became the “passing ticket” for Brezhnev on the path to power.
While at the top of the Communist Party, Leonid Brezhnev met the then head of the USSR, Joseph Stalin, who in 1950 appointed the loyal communist to the post of first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee of Moldova. At the same time, the politician became a member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Party and the head of the Main Political Directorate of the Navy and the Soviet Army.
After Stalin's death, Brezhnev lost his job, but in 1954, again under the patronage of Khrushchev, he became secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, in whose position he was engaged in the development of virgin lands and actively took part in preparations for the construction of the Baikonur cosmodrome. Also at that time, the future head of the USSR 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.
Governing body
Leonid Brezhnev's path to power ended with a conspiracy against Nikita Khrushchev, who was subsequently removed from government and party positions. Then the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee went to Leonid Ilyich, who on his way eliminated all his opponents and placed devoted people in key positions, including Yuri Andropov, Nikolai Tikhonov, Konstantin Chernenko, Semyon Tsvigun, Nikolai Shchelokov.
Since 1964, with the arrival of Brezhnev, conservative tendencies and gradually growing negativity both in the economy of the USSR and in the social and spiritual life of society returned to the country. The Brezhnev party apparatus saw in its leader the sole defender of the system, therefore the government rejected any reforms in order to preserve the previous regime of power endowed with broad privileges. The country formally returned to the “Leninist” principles of collective leadership, the country’s party apparatus completely subordinated the state apparatus, all ministries became ordinary executors of party decisions, and there were no non-party leaders left in the top leadership.
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. The development of the foreign-industrial complex became a special concern of the new ruler, since he did not find solutions to the internal stagnant crisis in society and was completely focused on foreign policy. At the same time, the Union began to again use repressive measures against “dissidents” who tried to protect their rights in the USSR.
The achievements of Leonid Brezhnev during his reign of the Soviet state generally consisted of achieving political détente in the 70s, when agreements were concluded with the United States on the limitation of strategic offensive weapons. He also signed the Helsinki Agreements, which confirmed the integrity of the inviolability of Europe's borders and agreement to non-interference in the internal affairs of foreign states. In 1977, Brezhnev signed the Soviet-French declaration on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
All these processes were crossed out by the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan. The participation of the USSR in the Afghan conflict led to the introduction of an anti-Soviet UN Security Council resolution, as well as sectoral Western sanctions, mainly affecting the gas industry. 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 declared a “cold war” on 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. During the same period, the head of the Soviet state agreed to the occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact countries, and in 1980 he began preparing military intervention in Poland, which significantly worsened the attitude of the world community towards the USSR.
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 the Soviet people.
Personal life
Leonid Brezhnev's personal life was stable. He was married once to Victoria Denisova, whom he met in 1925 at a dance in the college dormitory. Historians claim that family life The leader of the USSR was calm - his wife took care of the house and children, and he took care of politics.
Over the years life together Victoria gave birth to her husband's children Yuri and Galina, who in her youth was one of the most scandalous figures of the Soviet elite. At the same time, there were a lot of legends about Brezhnev’s love affairs, which have never been confirmed in modern history.
The Secretary General was distracted from everyday work by hunting and cars. Brezhnev left home almost every weekend to disconnect from everyday problems, which on weekdays he experienced exclusively with the help of sedative pills, without which he could not live and work. He also regularly went to various theatrical performances and circus performances, attended sports matches and even attended the ballet. Such an “active” vacation became an outlet for Leonid Ilyich, who found himself in complete power political system of that time, requiring complete dedication from the leader.
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev rose to the heights of power from the very bottom of the workers, so he clearly understood what a hard life was. He was not wasteful, he transferred every penny he earned to a savings book, and his needs were no different from an ordinary “little” person. At the same time, he 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. This is why people are nostalgic for the Brezhnev era, when the country began to pay increased attention to improving the well-being of ordinary people.
Death
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. According to historians, Brezhnev’s health began to fail from the beginning of 1970, when the Secretary General practically did not sleep for days due to the Prague Spring.
Even then, during meetings, one could notice a violation of his diction, which was associated with the uncontrolled use of sedatives. At the end of 1974, the comrades of the Soviet leader realized that Leonid Ilyich was “ending up” as an independent politician, since the work of his apparatus was entirely concentrated in the hands of Konstantin Chernenko, who had a facsimile, as well as the ability to affix stamps under government documents with Brezhnev's signature.
At the same time, the first person to learn about Brezhnev’s death was Yuri Andropov, who was the second person in the country after Leonid Ilyich. He instantly arrived at the scene of the Secretary General’s death and immediately took Brezhnev’s briefcase, in which the politician kept incriminating evidence on all members of the Politburo. Only a day later did he allow the public to be notified of the death of the head of the USSR.
Leonid Brezhnev was buried on November 15, 1982 on Red Square near the Kremlin wall in Moscow. Leaders of 35 countries from all over the world attended his funeral, which made the farewell to the Secretary General the most magnificent and pompous after Stalin’s funeral. A lot of people were present at the funeral of the Soviet leader, some of whom could not hold back their tears and sincerely regretted the death of Leonid Ilyich.