Brezhnev, the 1965 reforms and the slowdown
In October 1964 Party leaders removed Khrushchev. Leonid Brezhnev became the Party leader (General Secretary from 1966) and Alexei Kosygin led the government. The new rule was: stability and "no sudden moves".
Reforms of 1965. The ministries that Khrushchev had replaced came back. Kosygin's economic reform let factories judge success by sales and profit, not just by output in tons, and keep part of the profit for bonuses. In farming, the state raised prices and fixed delivery plans so farms could count on them.
- At first the economy did well: growth was about 7.8% a year in 1966-70 (official figures).
- But after the Prague events of 1968 leaders feared change. Ministries took back control and the reform faded.
Why stagnation? The word means "no progress". Growth fell to 5.7%, 4.3% and then 3.2% in the next plans. Factories used old machines, shops had shortages and queues, and farms needed grain from abroad. Oil and gas from West Siberia, with high prices after 1973, paid for imports and hid the trouble. Leaders grew old: Brezhnev died in 1982, followed by Andropov (1982-84) and Chernenko (1984-85).
Science, technology and space
The USSR kept investing in science and the military.
- Space stations: Salyut 1 (1971) was the first. Later stations let cosmonauts stay for months.
- Robots: Luna 9 soft-landed on the Moon (1966), Lunokhod 1 drove on it (1970), Venera 7 landed on Venus (1970).
- Soyuz-Apollo (July 1975): a Soviet and an American spacecraft met and joined in orbit, a sign of détente.
- With India: the Soviet Union launched India's first satellite, Aryabhata, in 1975, and Rakesh Sharma flew on a Soviet craft in 1984.
- Big projects: nuclear icebreakers, giant gas pipelines and the BAM railway through Siberia.
But computers and consumer technology fell behind the West, because the state controlled research and gave priority to weapons.
Culture and the dissidents
Culture was freer than under Stalin but under watch. Films by Tarkovsky, songs of Vladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava, and the Taganka theatre were loved.
- Censorship returned: in 1966 writers Sinyavsky and Daniel were jailed for work printed abroad.
- Samizdat ("self-publishing"): banned texts were typed and passed from hand to hand.
- Dissidents: scientist Andrei Sakharov spoke for human rights and was later sent to internal exile. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was expelled from the USSR in 1974.
- Ordinary life: steady jobs, cheap rent and bread, but few goods. People kept to private life, and many told political jokes.
- Showcase: the 1980 Moscow Olympics were a big public event.
Foreign policy and détente
Détente means "easing of tension". The USSR was now strong in nuclear missiles and wanted talks.
- 1968, Prague: Warsaw Pact troops entered Czechoslovakia to end its reforms. Brezhnev said the USSR could act if socialism was in danger in any bloc country (the "Brezhnev Doctrine").
- 1971: India and the USSR signed a treaty of friendship.
- 1972: President Nixon visited Moscow. SALT I limited missile numbers and the ABM treaty limited anti-missile systems.
- 1975: the Helsinki Final Act was signed by 35 countries. It accepted European borders and also promised respect for human rights.
- 1979: SALT II was signed, but in December Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. That led to a long war, new tension, a US-led boycott of the 1980 Olympics and the end of détente.
Try it
At step 2 note the four growth numbers and subtract: how many points did growth fall from the first plan to the last? At the free-play step, slide to 1972, 1975 and 1979. Say in one sentence why the pointer moves right after 1979.
Key formulas and definitions
- Brezhnev takes over October 1964; Kosygin reform 1965
- Official growth per year: 1966-70 = 7.8%, 1971-75 = 5.7%, 1976-80 = 4.3%, 1981-85 = 3.2%
- Prague 1968; SALT I and ABM 1972; Helsinki Final Act 1975
- Soyuz-Apollo July 1975; Aryabhata launched 1975; Salyut 1 in 1971
- Afghanistan: December 1979; Moscow Olympics 1980
- Brezhnev dies 1982; Andropov 1982-84; Chernenko 1984-85; Gorbachev March 1985
- Key words: stagnation, détente, dissident, samizdat, Brezhnev Doctrine
Worked examples
1. What did the 1965 reform change in factories?
Factories had to show sales and profit, not only tons of output, and could keep part of the profit for bonuses. The ministries were restored to control the plan. The reform helped at first but faded.
2. Growth was 7.8% in 1966-70 and 3.2% in 1981-85. By how many percentage points did it fall?
7.8 - 3.2 = 4.6 percentage points (official figures).
3. Explain why détente ended in 1979.
SALT II was signed in June 1979, but the US Senate never approved it. In December Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. Western states answered with sanctions and an Olympic boycott, and both sides returned to tension.
Common mistakes
- Thinking stagnation meant the economy shrank. It still grew, but more slowly each plan.
- Mixing 1968 (Prague) with 1956 (Hungary).
- Saying détente ended the Cold War. It only eased it for some years.
- Believing the 1965 reform was dropped at once. It worked a little and then faded in the late 1960s.