Leonid Brezhnev
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Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was a Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982. He also held office as Chairman of the Pres
Official portrait, 1972
Brezhnev (right) speaks with Nikita Khrushchev, 23 April 1943
Brezhnev in 1950
Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and Brezhnev's main patron
Yuri Andropov
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Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from late 1982 until his death in 1984. He previously served as the C
Leonid Brezhnev
…from governing the country despite remaining its highest authority. He eventually died on 10 November 1982 and was succeeded as General Secretary by Yuri Andropov. Upon coming to power in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev denounced Brezhnev's government for its inefficiency and inflexibility before launching a campaign to…
Andropov in 1982
Andropov, Erich Honecker and Leonid Brezhnev, 1967
Andropov in 1974 as KGB Chairman
General Wojciech Jaruzelski meeting Andropov during the 1982 crisis