Word: brezhnevs
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...came in the midst of a four-day meeting of Soviet leaders that seemed to consolidate Andropov's power after months of uncertainty. As President, General Secretary of the Communist Party and Chairman of the Defense Council, Andropov now holds the same three positions that his predecessor Leonid Brezhnev did. One difference is that it took Andropov seven months to get the three titles; Brezhnev needed 13 years. In nominating Andropov last week, Chernenko praised him as "an outstanding leader of the Leninist type...
...Soviet citizens, the biggest surprise was that Chernenko played such a prominent role. As a Brezhnev protégé, the silver-haired Chernenko, 71, was long considered a potential successor. But a few months after Andropov's designation as party leader, Chernenko dropped from public view, ostensibly to battle a bout of pneumonia. When he failed to appear for the traditional May Day lineup atop the Lenin Mausoleum, Moscow's active rumor mills began to speculate that he had lost another behind-the-scenes power struggle with Andropov. But once the more than 300 members...
...months ago. Contrary to expectations, Andropov did not fill the vacancies. His reluctance to do so suggests that powerful factions may be trying to curb Andropov's power to pack the Politburo with men loyal to him. Says a Western diplomat: "He's not as strong as Brezhnev was. He didn't get his way, or the jobs would have been filled...
Since he replaced Leonid Brezhnev last November, Soviet Leader Yuri Andropov has, whether by choice or political necessity, maintained a low domestic profile. Now, however, the name of the stooped and often visibly tired former KGB chief is beginning to sprout more frequently on the front pages of Soviet newspapers. Moreover, in a long Pravda article published last week, Defense Minister Marshal Dmitri Ustinov for the first time referred to Andropov as Chairman of the Defense Council. The new title meant that Andropov now holds a post equivalent to commander in chief, thereby occupying two of the three top positions...
...Soviets may reap additional solace from the likelihood that the increase is caused not only by an unusually mild winter and early spring, but also by the conversion of recalcitrant farmers. They seem to be at last responding to the initiatives outlined in Brezhnev's controversial "Food Program," under which farmers throughout the Soviet Union have begun to form "contract brigades" that reward members with cash or produce whenever crops exceed a predetermined goal. Says a U.S. expert: "By the inefficient standards of Soviet agriculture, the contract system appears to be a step forward...