Political Portrait of Brezhnev

Abstract

The article analyzes the features of the era of L. I. Brezhnev and its perceptions. The author presents his views on the political portrait of the Soviet leader. The article considers distinctive characteristics and stereotypical features of the image of the long-term leader of the Soviet state formed in the national and foreign historiography. The article indicates the key events and phenomena related to the foreign and domestic policy of the USSR under Brezhnev and describes the specific aspects of his managerial style. The author focuses on the details of the conspiracy to remove N. S. Khrushchev from power, and specifically point out that it was L. I. Brezhnev who headed this conspiracy, and not M. A. Suslov and A. N. Shelepin, as it is indicated in some research papers on the problem. The article also specifically examines the achievements of the foreign policy of the era of “détente”, the role of L. I. Brezhnev in the successes of the policy of those years, the model of his behavior in relations with foreign leaders, such as R. Nixon, J. Ford, V. Brandt, and others. The research is based on the testimonies of people who worked closely with L. I. Brezhnev and those who were in his inner circle. According to the author, L. I. Brezhnev was ready to retire at the end of the 1970s, but members of the Politburo insisted that he should keep his post. Brezhnev did not manage to survive as a politician; his death remained practically unnoticed by the Soviet people.