- Born in a Siberian village, was a Chinese border guard and was in NKVD during the ‘Great Terror’. In1948 he was in charge of propaganda for Moldavia. Soon became Brezhnev’s holiday and booze buddy.
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When Andropov died, there were enough Brezhnevites alive to demand Chernenko appointment of General Secretary, as opposed to the more dynamic Gorbachev.
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Gorbachev was comfortable to wait until ‘after’ Chernenko to be appointed Secretary.
- POLICIES=Stopped anti-corruption, tight on censorship and hard-liner against dissent
Irrigated Siberian land to increase amount of cultivated land
Continued Andropov’s industrial programme.
- IMPACT= Chernenko was in hospital by the end of 1984
Politburo had 10members, split 50:50old and young
Chernenko was no reformer
His reign was really a courtesy paid by Gorbachev and more youthful politicians
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