Definition

Proper noun A Soviet statesman who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until his death in 1982, and also as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (head of state) from 1977. His tenure is associated with the period of détente with the West but also with domestic economic stagnation and increased military expenditure.

Usage Examples

• Leonid Brezhnev led the Soviet Union for nearly two decades.
• The Brezhnev Doctrine asserted the right of the Soviet Union to intervene in socialist countries.
• Historians often refer to the era of economic slowdown as the Brezhnev Era.

Advanced Usage

• The Brezhnev Era/Period: Used to describe the period of Soviet history from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, characterized by political stability, lack of reform, and foreign policy defined by the Brezhnev Doctrine.
  • The stagnation of the Brezhnev Era ultimately weakened the Soviet system.
• Brezhnevite (adj.): Pertaining to or characteristic of the policies, style, or period of Leonid Brezhnev.
  • The old guard held onto Brezhnevite policies long after his death.

Variants and Related Words

• Brezhnevian (adj.): A less common variant of 'Brezhnevite'.
• Brezhnev Doctrine (proper noun): A foreign policy principle declaring that the USSR had the right to use military force to preserve existing socialist governments in Eastern Bloc countries.

Synonyms

• Soviet leader
• General Secretary (context-specific)
• Statesman (context-specific)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• The Era of Stagnation: A term often used synonymously with the Brezhnev period, highlighting the economic and social inertia of the time.
  • The reforms aimed to pull the country out of the Era of Stagnation.

Noun

1. Soviet statesman who became president of the Soviet Union (1906-1982)