Brezhnev sources rise to power, nature of the rule

1. Mikhail Gorbachev, Memoirs (1995)

Brezhnev had come to power in October 1964, as a result of a compromise between the groups which
ousted Khrushchev. He was then regarded as a rather insignificant figure who could be easily
manipulated. This was a miscalculation. By the use of simple tactics he succeeded in strengthening his
position until he became practically invulnerable. His forte consisted in his ability to split rivals,
fanning mutual suspicion and subsequently acting as chief arbiter and peacemaker. In time I discerned
another of Brezhnev's characteristics: vindictiveness. He never forgot the slightest disloyalty towards
himself, but he was shrewd enough to wait for an appropriate moment to replace the offender. He
never resorted to direct confrontation, proceeding cautiously, step by step, until he gained the upper
hand. In a political sense, Brezhnevism was nothing but a conservative reaction against Khrushchev's
attempt at reforming the authoritarian model of his time.
2. J.M. Thomspon, Russia and the Soviet Union, 2009
The succession after Khrushchev proceeded smoothly, despite some observers predictions of intense
political struggle and perhaps violence. Leonid Brezhnev, who dominated Soviet politics for almost
twenty years, from 1964 to 1982, was a workers son who had become an engineer. He rose through
the ranks of the party as a protg of Khrushchev, serving in supervisory positions in industry,
agriculture, and, during the war, the army. Stolid and cautious, he used his bureaucratic experience and
his ties in the party to bolster his position. He pursued moderate, low-key policies and was careful not
to rock the boat. For the first decade after Khrushchevs ouster, Brezhnev had to maneuver among
potential rivals, emphasizing the collective nature of the partys rule and playing the role of first
among equals. After 1975, he openly became the sole leader and even permitted a minicult of
personality to grow up around him. At first Brezhnev and his colleagues largely continued
Khrushchevs policies, although they dismantled some of his organizational experiments and ended
his antireligious campaign. Under pressure from the armed forces, they soon began a major buildup of
Soviet military capabilities, both in conventional weapons and in nuclear missiles and submarines.
3. Bacon & Sandle, Brezhnev reconsidered, 2002
Brezhnev was an organisation man rather than a policy man. He was no great theorist, and indeed was
described by his former Politburo colleague Petro Shelest as a dim-witted fellow. Shelests removal
from office by Brezhnev perhaps gave him reason to denigrate his former boss, nonetheless, even
those without such reason would recognise Shelests view that Brezhnev loved power and honours.
The General Secretarys vanity was legendary, and in particular he liked to receive decorations. On his
60th birthday in 1966 he was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union medal. In the subsequent years of
his leadership he received three more Hero of the Soviet Union medals, the Order of Lenin with Gold
Star for bravery during the Second World War, the Lenin Prize for literature, and innumerable medals
from other socialist states and international organisations so many in fact that carrying over 200
decorations at his funeral proved a problem, only resolved by having several medals pinned to most of
the 44 cushions carried in the parade. In addition to these medals, Brezhnev had himself created a
Marshal of the Soviet Union the highest military rank in the Soviet army in 1976. After this award
he attended the next meeting of 18th army veterans in a long coat, and, saying Attention! Marshals
coming!, he took off the coat and proudly showed off his new uniform.