What Is Leonid Brzhnev's Legacy

The Soviet Union, or USSR, had its roots in the early 1900s and has had multiple leaders. Each leader of the USSR had their own policies and legacies, which set themselves apart from one another. One of these leaders was Leonid Brezhnev, who was the successor of Nikita Khrushchev. Brezhnev rule was defined by his domestic policies, stagnation, and relations with the US. Although he brought much power and prestige to the Soviet Union, Leonid Brezhnev’s legacy is mostly remembered by his rule under the era of stagnation and the decline of the Soviet Union economy. On December 19th, 1906, Leonid Brezhnev was born in Kamenskoye, an industrial town in Ukraine(Brando, 2). He was the son of Ilya Yakovlevich Brezhnev and Natalya Denisovna(Brando, 2). Leonid’s father served as a metalworker, as well as other generations in their family. At the age of fifteen, Brezhnev …show more content…
“The Brezhnev Doctrine was a Soviet foreign policy outlined in 1968 which called for the use of Warsaw Pact forces to intervene in any Eastern Bloc nation which was seen to compromise communist rule and Soviet domination, either by trying to leave the Soviet sphere of influence or even moderate its policies” (Wilde, 1). This was mostly an excuse to invade Afghanistan for they wanted to compete with Britain for power. The Soviet-Afghan war lasted for 1979 to 1989 and millions of civilians were killed (Soviet, 1). The US was opposed to the USSR having control in Afghanistan and revolted by limiting grain sales and boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics being held in Moscow (IB, 7). Rebels in Afghanistan received support from the US and the CIA was allowed permission to conduct operations (IB, 7). By 1982, the USSR had a small chance of continuing to compete in the war, but they refused to admit it IB, 7). This was improper for the USSR and Brezhnev for it was quite costly and the people under Brezhnev’s rule became