Was expected to avod both the excesses of Stalin & the unpredictability of Khrushchev.
B made few chnages to administration at the lower levels to strengthen his position.
Not as many as K, who he criticised for the unjustified transferring & replacing of personnel.
B promoted his supporters to the Politburo (1981: 8 proteges, 4 Dnieper Mafia)
1960-78 average age of Politburi members rose from 58 to 68.
Met more frequently than before.
1982- average age of Central Committee members 63, & Council of Ministers 65.
CC increased in size dramatically (470 members 1981)
Only met 12 times 197-85
Little influence
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The Party
Privilages were reserved for party members who had reached a particular level; dachas, better medical facilities & access to special well-stocked shops.
Most full time party members were reassured by B's conservative approach.
Despite the expectation of people such as Boris Yeltsin & Mikhail Gorbachev who wnated some genuine reform. Younger party members also sympathised with this viw- more dynamic approach to change.
Developments mirrored the lack of drive at the top.
Rate the groth of the party membership decreased.Under K there had been sustained growth; under B due to stricter admission requirements & lack of enthusiasm, growth in membership, growth in memberhsip fell from almost 7% 1965 to less than 2% 1973.
Ideological appeal losing its grip.
KGB reported an increase in corruption among party members.
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Nomenklatura
Policy of maintaining stability of personnel at most levels, ensuring that changes at the top weren't accompined by purges.
Long list of reliable personnel made up of 2-5 million people (less than 2% of population).
Promotions within the party were based on the individual's political maturity & reliability not to rock the boat.
Promotion usually depended on the candidate having a sponsor at the nest level up in the party.
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Society under Brezhnev
Developed socialism= 1977, B sent out constitution declaring USSR to be mature Socialist society, & guarantees freedom of speech, assembly , religion, the press...
Individual rights undermined however by catch that individual rights must not injure the interests of society & state.
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Positives
Urban population grew. Soviet population in towns grew from 53% to 64% between 1964-82.
Whist 40% of Soviet citizens lived in communal apartments under Khrushchev, by 1985 the proportion had dropped to 15-18%.
Higher education became more common in adults resulting in more specialist workers.
Minimun wage & real wage increased by 50%.
In 1967 the five day working week became the norm.
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Negatives
Europena Russian population growth slows. 1970 population groth of just 6.5%. Tajik population grows by 35.7%
Life expectancy fell as a result of serious alcoholism & pollution.
20% of Soviet workforce too hungover to work on Mondays.
Crisis of too many specialised workers. Blue collars ended up earning more then white collar workers in places as a result.
Black market grewto a gigantic scale. 20% of GMP outside books.
HIgh divorce rates due to gender inequalities & alcoholism.
Poor social mobility.
Nomenklatura existed as a privileged, nepotistic,upper political class.
Brezhneb era encouraged corruption to a fabulous extent.
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