Word: brezhnevs
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...many Americans and other Westerners, however, the Soviet accumulation of nuclear arms represents something far more menacing. The weapons proliferated so rapidly and so massively during the 18 years of Brezhnev's reign that they conveyed the impression of a juggernaut. American deployments during the same period, while formidable in their own right, tended to occur more in fits and starts...
Utilizing its new global reach, the U.S.S.R. under Brezhnev also embarked on adventures far from its traditional sphere of interest. During a period when the U.S. was shrinking from overseas commitments because of Viet Nam, the Soviet Union was busy making mischief, on its own and by proxy, in Africa, Indochina and Central America, although it did avoid situations that might bring direct conflict with...
...fundamental weaknesses: the Soviet Union is heavily reliant on Poland and other resentful, potentially mutinous satellites for supply lines and soldiers. Moreover, 49 divisions totaling more than 500,000 troops, nearly a quarter of the Soviet army, are tied down on the Chinese border. When Brezhnev took over from Khrushchev, there were only 17 divisions in the Far East...
Thus the Soviet Union over which Andropov now presides is vastly more powerful, both in the absolute and by comparison with the U.S., than it was two decades ago. That is thanks largely to Leonid Brezhnev. But while the Soviet ability to exert force on the world has grown, so have the external dangers and internal defects with which its new leaders must cope. That too is Brezhnev's legacy...
While the Soviet standard of living nearly doubled during Leonid Brezhnev's rule, he left behind an economy slipping into deep trouble. Factories are faltering. Farms cannot feed the people. Oil production is peaking and may soon fall. After decades of steady progress, growth has seriously slowed. Still harder times may lie ahead...