Was Leonid Brezhnev popular with the public?

Question by Grega: Tell me about Leonid Brezhnev. Was he popular with the public? What defined his legacy?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Lilka
Brezhnev was considered something of a protege of Nikita Krushchev. This did not stop him, however, from being one of the main conspirators in the plot to oust him from his role as Party Secretary in 1964. According to William Taubman, Brezhnev was exceedingly nervous about this plot, convinced that Krushchev knew and was going to kill them all. He repeatedly ordered and then immediately cancelled the coup. However, everything eventually went off smoothly, and Brezhnev was installed as the Party Secretary.

Like many Soviet leaders, he established something of a cult of personality, though I am unsure as to the extent of this. I do know that he liked to give himself medals.

One of his legacies is the Brezhnev Doctrine. Although I am uncertain as to whether or not he actually wrote it, it came from his time in power, and he did support it. It can perhaps be considered analogous to the Truman Doctrine, as it basically says that any individual country leaning towards capitalism was something that must be dealt with by the entire Soviet Union, as it was a threat to Communism.

Another legacy was his reversal of Krushchev’s Destalinization. He reversed a great many of Krushchev’s policies, gave the KGB more power, and returned to the practice of trials similar to the ones under Stalin.

He was also the leader who signed SALT-I.

I hope that was helpful– I honestly know loads more about Krushchev. He’s MUCH more fun.

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