Brezhnevian

Brezhnevian refers to the period of Soviet history dominated by Leonid Brezhnev, from his rise to First Secretary of the Communist Party in 1964 until his death in 1982. This era is often characterized by a return to a more conservative and centralized style of governance after the Khrushchev Thaw. Key features include a period of relative stability and economic stagnation, often described as "developed socialism." While Brezhnev's rule saw a significant increase in Soviet military power and a more assertive foreign policy, including the Brezhnev Doctrine which justified Soviet intervention in other socialist countries, it also witnessed a decline in political freedoms and a rise in corruption. The cult of personality around Brezhnev, though less overt than Stalin's, was still present. The Brezhnevian period is generally seen as a time of missed opportunities for reform, setting the stage for the later Perestroika and Glasnost of Mikhail Gorbachev's era.