Brezhnev

Brezhnev

Author: Susanne Schattenberg

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-11-04

Total Pages: 505

ISBN-13: 0755642112

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"Schattenberg has done a service in rescuing the Brezhnev period from obscurity." The Morning Star "[Offers an] unparalleled examination of the Brezhnev papers." Literary Review Leonid Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet Union for eighteen years, a term of leadership second only in length to that of Stalin. He presided over the Brezhnev Doctrine, which accelerated the Cold War, and led the Soviet Union through catastrophic foreign policy decisions such as the invasion of Afghanistan. To many in the West, he is responsible for the stagnation (and to some even collapse) of the Soviet Union. But much of this history has been based on the only two English-language biographies (both published before Brezhnev's death and without access to archival sources) and Brezhnev's own astonishingly untrue memoirs – written for propaganda purposes. Newly translated from German, Schattenberg's magisterial book systematically dismantles the stereotypical and one-dimensional view of Brezhnev as the stagnating Stalinist by drawing on a wealth of archival research and documents not previously studied in English. The Brezhnev that emerges is a complex one, from his early apolitical years, when he dreamed of becoming an actor, through his swift and surprising rise through the Party ranks. From his hitherto misunderstood role in Khrushchev's ousting and appointment as his successor, to his somewhat pro-Western foreign policy aims, deft consolidation and management of power, and ultimate descent into addiction and untimely death. For Schattenberg, this is the story of a flawed and ineffectual idealist - for the West, this biography makes a convincing case that Brezhnev should be reappraised as one of the most interesting and important political figures of the twentieth century.


Book Synopsis Brezhnev by : Susanne Schattenberg

Download or read book Brezhnev written by Susanne Schattenberg and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-11-04 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Schattenberg has done a service in rescuing the Brezhnev period from obscurity." The Morning Star "[Offers an] unparalleled examination of the Brezhnev papers." Literary Review Leonid Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet Union for eighteen years, a term of leadership second only in length to that of Stalin. He presided over the Brezhnev Doctrine, which accelerated the Cold War, and led the Soviet Union through catastrophic foreign policy decisions such as the invasion of Afghanistan. To many in the West, he is responsible for the stagnation (and to some even collapse) of the Soviet Union. But much of this history has been based on the only two English-language biographies (both published before Brezhnev's death and without access to archival sources) and Brezhnev's own astonishingly untrue memoirs – written for propaganda purposes. Newly translated from German, Schattenberg's magisterial book systematically dismantles the stereotypical and one-dimensional view of Brezhnev as the stagnating Stalinist by drawing on a wealth of archival research and documents not previously studied in English. The Brezhnev that emerges is a complex one, from his early apolitical years, when he dreamed of becoming an actor, through his swift and surprising rise through the Party ranks. From his hitherto misunderstood role in Khrushchev's ousting and appointment as his successor, to his somewhat pro-Western foreign policy aims, deft consolidation and management of power, and ultimate descent into addiction and untimely death. For Schattenberg, this is the story of a flawed and ineffectual idealist - for the West, this biography makes a convincing case that Brezhnev should be reappraised as one of the most interesting and important political figures of the twentieth century.


Brezhnev and the Decline of the Soviet Union

Brezhnev and the Decline of the Soviet Union

Author: Thomas Crump

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-11-07

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1134669151

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Leonid Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet Union from 1964-1982, a longer period than any other Soviet leader apart from Stalin. During Brezhnev’s time Soviet power seemed at its height and increasing. Living standards were rising, the Soviet Union was a nuclear power and successful in its space missions, and the Soviet Union's influence reached into all part of the world. Yet, as this book, which provides a comprehensive overview and reassessment of Brezhnev’s life, early political career and career as leader, shows, the seeds of decline were sown in Brezhnev's time. There was a huge over-commitment of resources to the Soviet industrial-military complex and to massively expensive foreign policy overstretch. At the same time there was a failure to deliver on citizens' rising expectations, and an overconfident ignoring of dissidents and their demands. The book will be of great interest to Russian specialists, and also to scholars of international relations and world history.


Book Synopsis Brezhnev and the Decline of the Soviet Union by : Thomas Crump

Download or read book Brezhnev and the Decline of the Soviet Union written by Thomas Crump and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-11-07 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leonid Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet Union from 1964-1982, a longer period than any other Soviet leader apart from Stalin. During Brezhnev’s time Soviet power seemed at its height and increasing. Living standards were rising, the Soviet Union was a nuclear power and successful in its space missions, and the Soviet Union's influence reached into all part of the world. Yet, as this book, which provides a comprehensive overview and reassessment of Brezhnev’s life, early political career and career as leader, shows, the seeds of decline were sown in Brezhnev's time. There was a huge over-commitment of resources to the Soviet industrial-military complex and to massively expensive foreign policy overstretch. At the same time there was a failure to deliver on citizens' rising expectations, and an overconfident ignoring of dissidents and their demands. The book will be of great interest to Russian specialists, and also to scholars of international relations and world history.


Brezhnev Reconsidered

Brezhnev Reconsidered

Author: E. Bacon

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2002-10-11

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 0230501087

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Leonid Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet Union for almost two decades when it was at the height of its powers. This book is a long overdue reappraisal of Brezhnev the man and the system over which he ruled. By incorporating much of the new material available in Russian, it challenges the received wisdom about the Brezhnev years, and provides a fascinating insight into the life and times of one of the twentieth century's most neglected political leaders.


Book Synopsis Brezhnev Reconsidered by : E. Bacon

Download or read book Brezhnev Reconsidered written by E. Bacon and published by Springer. This book was released on 2002-10-11 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leonid Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet Union for almost two decades when it was at the height of its powers. This book is a long overdue reappraisal of Brezhnev the man and the system over which he ruled. By incorporating much of the new material available in Russian, it challenges the received wisdom about the Brezhnev years, and provides a fascinating insight into the life and times of one of the twentieth century's most neglected political leaders.


Khrushchev and Brezhnev as Leaders (Routledge Revivals)

Khrushchev and Brezhnev as Leaders (Routledge Revivals)

Author: George W. Breslauer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-06-10

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 113487572X

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First published in 1982, this book explores how Khrushchev and Brezhnev manipulated their policies and personal images as they attempted to consolidate their authority as leader. Central issues of Soviet domestic politics are examined: investment priorities, incentive policy, administrative reform, and political participation. The author rejects the conventional images of Khrushchev as an embattled consumer advocate and decentraliser, and of Brezhnev’s leadership as dull and conservative. He looks at how they dealt with the task of devising programs that combined the post-Stalin elite’s goals of consumer satisfaction and expanded political participation with traditional Soviet values.


Book Synopsis Khrushchev and Brezhnev as Leaders (Routledge Revivals) by : George W. Breslauer

Download or read book Khrushchev and Brezhnev as Leaders (Routledge Revivals) written by George W. Breslauer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-06-10 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1982, this book explores how Khrushchev and Brezhnev manipulated their policies and personal images as they attempted to consolidate their authority as leader. Central issues of Soviet domestic politics are examined: investment priorities, incentive policy, administrative reform, and political participation. The author rejects the conventional images of Khrushchev as an embattled consumer advocate and decentraliser, and of Brezhnev’s leadership as dull and conservative. He looks at how they dealt with the task of devising programs that combined the post-Stalin elite’s goals of consumer satisfaction and expanded political participation with traditional Soviet values.


Brezhnev's Folly

Brezhnev's Folly

Author: Christopher J. Ward

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press

Published: 2009-06

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 0822971216

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Heralded by Soviet propaganda as the “Path to the Future,” the Baikal-Amur Mainline Railway (BAM) represented the hopes and dreams of Brezhnev and the Communist Party elite of the late Soviet era. Begun in 1974, and spanning approximately 2,000 miles after twenty-nine years of halting construction, the BAM project was intended to showcase the national unity, determination, skill, technology, and industrial might that Soviet socialism claimed to embody. More pragmatically, the Soviet leadership envisioned the BAM railway as a trade route to the Pacific, where markets for Soviet timber and petroleum would open up, and as an engine for the development of Siberia. Despite these aspirations and the massive commitment of economic resources on its behalf, BAM proved to be a boondoggle-a symbol of late communism's dysfunctionality-and a cruel joke to many ordinary Soviet citizens. In reality, BAM was woefully bereft of quality materials and construction, and victimized by poor planning and an inferior workforce. Today, the railway is fully complete, but remains a symbol of the profligate spending and inefficiency that characterized the Brezhnev years. In Brezhnev's Folly, Christopher J. Ward provides a groundbreaking social history of the BAM railway project. He examines the recruitment of hundreds of thousands of workers from the diverse republics of the USSR and other socialist countries, and his extensive archival research and interviews with numerous project workers provide an inside look at the daily life of the BAM workforce. We see firsthand the disorganization, empty promises, dire living and working conditions, environmental damage, and acts of crime, segregation, and discrimination that constituted daily life during the project's construction. Thus, perhaps, we also see the final irony of BAM: that the most lasting legacy of this misguided effort to build Soviet socialism is to shed historical light on the profound ills afflicting a society in terminal decline.


Book Synopsis Brezhnev's Folly by : Christopher J. Ward

Download or read book Brezhnev's Folly written by Christopher J. Ward and published by University of Pittsburgh Press. This book was released on 2009-06 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Heralded by Soviet propaganda as the “Path to the Future,” the Baikal-Amur Mainline Railway (BAM) represented the hopes and dreams of Brezhnev and the Communist Party elite of the late Soviet era. Begun in 1974, and spanning approximately 2,000 miles after twenty-nine years of halting construction, the BAM project was intended to showcase the national unity, determination, skill, technology, and industrial might that Soviet socialism claimed to embody. More pragmatically, the Soviet leadership envisioned the BAM railway as a trade route to the Pacific, where markets for Soviet timber and petroleum would open up, and as an engine for the development of Siberia. Despite these aspirations and the massive commitment of economic resources on its behalf, BAM proved to be a boondoggle-a symbol of late communism's dysfunctionality-and a cruel joke to many ordinary Soviet citizens. In reality, BAM was woefully bereft of quality materials and construction, and victimized by poor planning and an inferior workforce. Today, the railway is fully complete, but remains a symbol of the profligate spending and inefficiency that characterized the Brezhnev years. In Brezhnev's Folly, Christopher J. Ward provides a groundbreaking social history of the BAM railway project. He examines the recruitment of hundreds of thousands of workers from the diverse republics of the USSR and other socialist countries, and his extensive archival research and interviews with numerous project workers provide an inside look at the daily life of the BAM workforce. We see firsthand the disorganization, empty promises, dire living and working conditions, environmental damage, and acts of crime, segregation, and discrimination that constituted daily life during the project's construction. Thus, perhaps, we also see the final irony of BAM: that the most lasting legacy of this misguided effort to build Soviet socialism is to shed historical light on the profound ills afflicting a society in terminal decline.


Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

Author: Institut Marksizma-Leninizma

Publisher: Pergamon

Published: 1977

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev by : Institut Marksizma-Leninizma

Download or read book Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev written by Institut Marksizma-Leninizma and published by Pergamon. This book was released on 1977 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Leonid I. Brezhnev, His Life and Work

Leonid I. Brezhnev, His Life and Work

Author:

Publisher: International Universities Press

Published: 1982

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Leonid I. Brezhnev, His Life and Work by :

Download or read book Leonid I. Brezhnev, His Life and Work written by and published by International Universities Press. This book was released on 1982 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Reconsidering Stagnation in the Brezhnev Era

Reconsidering Stagnation in the Brezhnev Era

Author: Dina Fainberg

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2016-04-27

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1498529941

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This volume contributes to a growing reevaluation of the Brezhnev era, helping to shape a new historiography that gives us a much richer and more nuanced picture of the time period than the stagnation paradigm usually assigned to the era. The essays provide a multifaceted prism that reveals a dynamic society with a political and intellectual class that remained committed to the ideological foundations of the state, recognized the challenges that the system faced, and embarked on a creative search for solutions. The chapters focus on developments in politics, society, and culture, as well as the state’s attempts to lead and initiate change, which are mostly glossed over in the stagnation narrative. The volume challenges the assumption that the period as a whole was characterized by rampant cynicism and a decline of faith in the socialist creed and instead points to the persistence of popular engagement with the socialist ideology and the power it continued to wield within the Soviet Union.


Book Synopsis Reconsidering Stagnation in the Brezhnev Era by : Dina Fainberg

Download or read book Reconsidering Stagnation in the Brezhnev Era written by Dina Fainberg and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2016-04-27 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume contributes to a growing reevaluation of the Brezhnev era, helping to shape a new historiography that gives us a much richer and more nuanced picture of the time period than the stagnation paradigm usually assigned to the era. The essays provide a multifaceted prism that reveals a dynamic society with a political and intellectual class that remained committed to the ideological foundations of the state, recognized the challenges that the system faced, and embarked on a creative search for solutions. The chapters focus on developments in politics, society, and culture, as well as the state’s attempts to lead and initiate change, which are mostly glossed over in the stagnation narrative. The volume challenges the assumption that the period as a whole was characterized by rampant cynicism and a decline of faith in the socialist creed and instead points to the persistence of popular engagement with the socialist ideology and the power it continued to wield within the Soviet Union.


The Bolshevik Tradition

The Bolshevik Tradition

Author: Robert H. McNeal

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2018-10-12

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 9781396004056

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Excerpt from The Bolshevik Tradition: Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev In 1952 the all-union Communist Party (of Bolsheviks) changed its name to Communist Party of the Soviet Union, just about half a century after the designation Bolshevik had come into use Nonetheless, the term remains serviceable today as an alternative to Russian Communist, partly because there is no equally handy label, partly because the claim of lineal descent from the first Bolshevik, Lenin, was never more ardently stressed than at present. Moreover, the name Bolshevik probably evokes a more vivid image in both friend and foe of the movement Lenin set on foot. This is a book about the Bolsheviks, not about Communists or Marxists in general; it is an attempt to interpret the history of Bolshevism. It is not, however, a general history of the Bolshevik Party, much less of twentieth century Russia. Rather it traces the tradition or continuing theme of the party through the careers of three principal protagonists: Lenin, Stalin, and Khrushchev. The essay does not pretend to literal chronological balance; the twenty-three years of Stalin's personal ascend ancy are treated as a comprehensible phase of the evolution of the Bolshe vik tradition, as are the eight months of the Revolution of 1917. Such an approach has its limitations, but it follows from the Bolshevik View that their party is always characterized by a unique degree of unity and con tinuity. This approach is also consistent with an axiom of Bolshevism that the party has not usually acknowledged; the party depends upon the leadership of an individual dictator. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


Book Synopsis The Bolshevik Tradition by : Robert H. McNeal

Download or read book The Bolshevik Tradition written by Robert H. McNeal and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-10-12 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from The Bolshevik Tradition: Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev In 1952 the all-union Communist Party (of Bolsheviks) changed its name to Communist Party of the Soviet Union, just about half a century after the designation Bolshevik had come into use Nonetheless, the term remains serviceable today as an alternative to Russian Communist, partly because there is no equally handy label, partly because the claim of lineal descent from the first Bolshevik, Lenin, was never more ardently stressed than at present. Moreover, the name Bolshevik probably evokes a more vivid image in both friend and foe of the movement Lenin set on foot. This is a book about the Bolsheviks, not about Communists or Marxists in general; it is an attempt to interpret the history of Bolshevism. It is not, however, a general history of the Bolshevik Party, much less of twentieth century Russia. Rather it traces the tradition or continuing theme of the party through the careers of three principal protagonists: Lenin, Stalin, and Khrushchev. The essay does not pretend to literal chronological balance; the twenty-three years of Stalin's personal ascend ancy are treated as a comprehensible phase of the evolution of the Bolshe vik tradition, as are the eight months of the Revolution of 1917. Such an approach has its limitations, but it follows from the Bolshevik View that their party is always characterized by a unique degree of unity and con tinuity. This approach is also consistent with an axiom of Bolshevism that the party has not usually acknowledged; the party depends upon the leadership of an individual dictator. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.


The Soviet Union under Brezhnev

The Soviet Union under Brezhnev

Author: William J. Tompson

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-07-30

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1317881729

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The Soviet Union Under Brezhnev provides an accessible post-Soviet perspective on the history of the USSR from the mid-1960’s to the mid-1980’s. It challenges both the ‘evil empire’ image of the USSR that was widespread in the early 1980’s and the ‘stagnation’ label attached to the period by Soviet reformers under Gorbachev. The book makes use of a range of memoirs, interviews, archival documents and other sources not available before 1990 to place Brezhnev and his epoch in a broader historical context. The author: examines high politics, foreign policy and policy making explores broader social, cultural and demographic trends presents a picture of Soviet society in the crucial decades prior to the upheavals and crises of the late 1980’s While stopping well short of a full-scale rehabilitation of Brezhnev, Tompson rejects the prevailing image of the Soviet leader as a colourless non-entity, drawing attention to Brezhnev’s real political skills, as well as his faults, and to the systemic roots of many of the problems he faced.


Book Synopsis The Soviet Union under Brezhnev by : William J. Tompson

Download or read book The Soviet Union under Brezhnev written by William J. Tompson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-07-30 with total page 198 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Soviet Union Under Brezhnev provides an accessible post-Soviet perspective on the history of the USSR from the mid-1960’s to the mid-1980’s. It challenges both the ‘evil empire’ image of the USSR that was widespread in the early 1980’s and the ‘stagnation’ label attached to the period by Soviet reformers under Gorbachev. The book makes use of a range of memoirs, interviews, archival documents and other sources not available before 1990 to place Brezhnev and his epoch in a broader historical context. The author: examines high politics, foreign policy and policy making explores broader social, cultural and demographic trends presents a picture of Soviet society in the crucial decades prior to the upheavals and crises of the late 1980’s While stopping well short of a full-scale rehabilitation of Brezhnev, Tompson rejects the prevailing image of the Soviet leader as a colourless non-entity, drawing attention to Brezhnev’s real political skills, as well as his faults, and to the systemic roots of many of the problems he faced.