LEONID ILICH BREZHNEV
1906 - 1982

Leo was born in the Ukraine and died in Moscow. He was first man in the government of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death.

Leo started out as a land surveyor (George Washington comes to mind.) He studied at the Dniprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute and graduated 1935.

leonid brezhnev's career
1931 - Member of the Communist Party
1935 - Graduated from DMI
1939 - Secretary of the party committee in Dnipropetrovsk
1943 - Major general
1950 - First secretary of the Communist Party in Moldavia
1952 - Member of the Central Committee and the Politburo
1953 - Lieutenant general (due to Stalin's death)
1954 - Second secretary of the Communist Party in Kazakstan
1955 - First secretary of the Communist Party in Kazakstan
1956 - Back to his post as member of the Central Committee and the Politburo
1960 - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
1964, July - Second secretary of the Central Committee
1964, October - First secretary of the Central Committee (after getting rid of Khrushchev)
1976 - Marshal of the Soviet Union


THE BREZHNEV DOCTRINE, 1968
In 1967 / 1968, Czechoslovakia, led by Alexander Dubcek, tried to wiggle its course a little bit away from that of the other communist countries. This brave solo performance became known as the Prague Spring.

Brezhnev wasn't thrilled and decided to invade Czechoslovakia in 1968. Thus, the Prague Spring ended when Warsaw Pact troops invaded Prague on the night of August 20 / 21, 1968.

Alexander Dubcek was arrested and taken to Moscow. He was made ambassador to Turkey in 1970. But don't feel too sorry for Alexander Dubcek. Once out of the general limelight, he got kicked out of the party, returned to Czechoslovakia and died peacefully in 1992 after a car accident.

In November 1968, Brezhnev justified the invasion in a speech. He felt that Czechoslovakia's behavior became a threat to "other socialist countries." Brezhnev's opinion on the matter became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine.
 

   You can read the translated transcript of Brezhnev's speech, aka The Brezhnev Doctrine, online and for free, provided by the Fordham University.

Thirty years later, in 1998, it was debated how important the Prague Spring really was. Here is an article provided by BBC.
 

END OF PRAGUE SPRING, AUGUST 1968
CLICK PIC TO READ BBC ARTICLE

In 1972, Brezhnev signed SALT I, an agreement with the United States to reduce the production of strategic missiles.

brezhnev's ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Under Leo Brezhnev's management the Soviet Union became one of the world's leading nations in military (think nuclear weapons) and science (think space program.) This success, however, cost the Soviet Union a lot of money. Thus, Brezhnev was also responsible for a drop in the general standard of living.