The Rise of Solidarity and the Declaration of Martial Law

With poland in 19 81, with the threat of invasion, there was that one of bresnev's more lucid times. It appears from the book that he was involved more in the decision making around that. And you can definitely argue that the rise of solidarity and the declaration of martial law was the beginning and the end for the soviet n and wam the cold war.

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Now, what do you think of when you hear the name Leonid Brezhnev who ruled the Soviet Union for 18 years from the 1960s to the 1980s?

An old guy waving weakly from the Lenin mausoleum?

Well, think again! We speak with Susanne Schattenberg, the author of a new biography that systematically dismantles the stereotypical and one-dimensional view of Brezhnev as the stagnating Stalinist by drawing on a wealth of archival research and documents not previously studied in English.

The Brezhnev that emerges is a complex one, from his early apolitical years, as an aspiring actor and poetry fan, through his swift and surprising rise through the Party ranks.

We talk about his hitherto misunderstood role in Khrushchev's ousting and appointment as his successor, to his somewhat pro-Western foreign policy aims, deft consolidation and management of power, and ultimate descent into addiction and untimely death.

For Schattenberg, this is the story of a flawed and ineffectual idealist - for the West, this biography makes a convincing case that Brezhnev should be reappraised as one of the most interesting and important political figures of the twentieth century.

Buy the book here and support CWC

UK https://amzn.to/3kCUaVn

US https://amzn.to/3c9fOvZ

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I am delighted to welcome Susanne Schattenberg to our Cold War conversation…

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0:00 Introduction

2:58 Brezhnev's early life, education, and career

8:07 Start of Brezhnev's political career and navigation of Stalinist purges

23:08 Brezhnev's rise to power and relationship with Khrushchev

34:06 Brezhnev's leadership style, reforms, and international crisis

38:12 Brezhnev's portrayal as a Western statesman and health decline