Leonid Brezhnev

Leonid Brezhnev (1906 - 1982) was part of an internal coup that stripped the Soviet Union's leader, Nikita Khrushchev, of power in 1964. Brezhnev became the new head of the Soviet Union and remained so until his death in 1982.

Brezhnev is more fondly remembered than many Soviet leaders because of his campaign against corruption in the USSR. He also relaxed some restrictions imposed under Khrushchev that prohibited free speech and cultural expression. Brezhnev's admiration for Western culture, especially music, was well-known and he generally pursued a policy of detente with the west, while at the same time engagin in keeping the Soviet military strong. His attempts to strengthen the economy were only partially successful.