Biography of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

Funeral date

On Sunday, November 7, Leonid Ilyich took part in the parade on Red Square and looked good. Three days later, on Wednesday, a message about his death appeared. A figure of the CPSU Central Committee died in his sleep. According to the official conclusion, this happened between 8 and 9 a.m. on November 10, 1982.

The media reported the sad news only the next day, November 11, at 10 am. However, one could have guessed the day before that something extraordinary had happened in the country.

Entertainment programs, including a concert dedicated to Police Day, were cancelled. Instead, classical music, the ballet “Swan Lake” and patriotic programs were broadcast.

In the evening of that day, a large number of black government limousines “member carriers” concentrated on Red Square.

These strange changes were noticed by foreign correspondents, who voiced assumptions about what was happening on the radio.

General Secretary of the CPSU Leonid Brezhnev

Leonid Ilyich was born in the village of Kamenskoye, Ekaterinoslav province (Dnepropetrovsk region of Ukraine) in the family of workers Ilya Yakovlevich Brezhnev and Natalya Denisovna Mazalova. In the photo: family portrait. In the second row, on the far left is Leonid Brezhnev. 1930 RIA Novosti

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he took part in the mobilization of the population into the Red Army and was involved in the evacuation of industry. Then he serves in political positions in the active army. In the photo: Brigade Commissar Brezhnev presents a party card to a fighter. 1942 Public Domain

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, first secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk regional committee of the Communist Party of Bolsheviks of Ukraine, in his office. Ukrainian SSR. 1946 RIA Novosti / Yakov Khalip

Ho Chi Minh, Mikhail Suslov and Leonid Brezhnev on vacation in Crimea. 1959 RIA Novosti

Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev presents pilot-cosmonaut German Titov with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. 1961 RIA Novosti

Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Leonid Brezhnev during his departure to Afghanistan at Vnukovo airport. 1963 RIA Novosti / V. Noskov

USSR pilot-cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Leonid Brezhnev and USSR pilot-cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova at a reception in the Kremlin. 1963 RIA Novosti / Vasily Malyshev

Victory Parade on Red Square, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. On the podium of the Lenin Mausoleum: Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan, Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovsky, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev and Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin. 1965 RIA Novosti / David Sholomovich

General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Brezhnev greets the First Secretary of the SED Central Committee, Chairman of the State Council of the GDR Walter Ulbricht during the visit of the GDR party and government delegation to the USSR. 1965 RIA Novosti / Mikhail Kuleshov

General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev and US President Richard Nixon, who is on an official visit to the USSR, during a break between negotiations at the residence of the Soviet leader in Crimea - in the village of Oreanda near Yalta. 1974 RIA Novosti / Yuri Abramochkin

US President Gerald Ford and General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev at Vladivostok airport, 1974 RIA Novosti

Leonid Brezhnev and Jimmy Carter sign the SALT II agreement. Vienna, 1979 Public Domain

Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz sees off General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev at José Marti Airport. Brezhnev's visit to the Republic of Cuba. 1974 RIA Novosti / Eduard Pesov

Reproduction of the first cover of the book by General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev “Our Course - Peace and Socialism” in English. 1980 RIA Novosti

Celebrating May 1st on Red Square. On the podium of the Mausoleum are Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Tikhonov and Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko. 1982 Six months later, on November 7, Brezhnev's last public appearance took place. Standing on the podium of the Mausoleum, he took part in the military parade on Red Square for an hour, but his poor physical condition was evident even during the official shooting. RIA Novosti / Yuri Abramochkin

Deterioration of health

In the last years of his life, it became increasingly difficult for Leonid Ilyich to govern a huge country. Age and serious health problems simply did not allow this to be done. In appearance, he resembled an old, sick man, exhausted by illness.

The end of 1974 is considered to be the end of his political career. Since that time, reports of clinical death, paralysis, and problems with the cardiovascular system periodically appear.

It was obvious that Brezhnev was dying and could no longer rule the huge state. However, he worked to the best of his ability, which was enough for 1-3 hours. After that, he went to the Kremlin hospital or simply rested.

Despite his poor health, Leonid Ilyich manages to make several official visits to other states:

• twice in the USA;
• four times to France;
• three times in Germany.

According to relatives, in recent months he unsuccessfully asked for a pension, but could not resign for unknown reasons, he said that “they would not let him go.”

Fyodor Morgun, a Soviet writer and statesman of that era, recalled that the resulting dependence on Nembutal (sleeping pills) made the Secretary General a puppet in the wrong hands. Morgun admitted that it was the doctors who created Brezhnev for the world, who became a parody of Brezhnev...”

Where do we get nostalgia for Brezhnev?

We say “Brezhnev”, and the word “stagnation” immediately pops up.

Photo: TASS photo chronicle.

On November 10, 1982, Leonid Brezhnev, Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee, died. Then it was “just” the death of the head of the USSR, but from today we understand that a huge part of the country’s history ended with him. What Brezhnev did to the Soviet Union and why the unshakable empire collapsed after 8 years - KP discussed with the writer and historian Alexander Myasnikov.

THE TERM “AGE OF stagnation” was invented by GORBACHEV

— We say “Brezhnev”, and the word “stagnation” immediately comes up. Even the “era of stagnation.” Why did the country stagnate?

— The term “stagnation” was invented by Gorbachev and his associates, who needed to explain the need for perestroika. They say that under Brezhnev it was bad and there was stagnation, but with the beginning of perestroika it will be good. True, Mikhail Sergeevich, as always, was cunning and did not say that not everyone would be fine.

— Is it true that Brezhnev’s reign began with unprecedented economic growth? And there was even a five-year plan that was dubbed golden?

- There was actually a takeoff. And the eighth five-year plan - from 1966 to 1970 - was dubbed golden for good reason.

Brezhnev started with economic reform. It was conducted by the head of the Council of Ministers, Alexei Kosygin. The essence of the reform was to give factories and collective farms more independence. And update central planning methods. By the way, under Khrushchev, centralized management simply disappeared, all ministries were replaced by economic councils. To make it clearer, even the Ministry of Internal Affairs was abolished!

The changes benefited the economy - compared to the previous five-year plan, the gross social product increased by more than 350%! The output of industrial goods in the USSR jumped by 485%, and agricultural goods by 171%!

On November 10, 1982, Leonid Brezhnev, Secretary General of the CPSU Central Committee, died.

Photo: TASS photo chronicle.

— And then this pace was maintained?

- That's the point, no. That is, the economy lived and developed, but the country was severely crippled by the “resource curse.” The economy became increasingly inefficient and one-sided. Profits from oil exports certainly contributed to the growth of household incomes. But this profit was not used for structural reforms. And as a result, the economy began to depend not only on oil revenues, but also on imports. And besides, the military-industrial complex in the USSR swelled. He demanded incredible money.

That is, under Brezhnev the highest level of development of a planned economy was achieved. But in this highest stage all her vices also appeared. And first of all, people lack motivation.

— What was this lack of motivation expressed in?

— Since everything was planned from above, little depended on the individual employee or enterprise. This killed initiative from below. And the planned nature of the system led to the point of absurdity. To coordinate any little thing, it was necessary to go through several authorities and receive dozens of approvals. This discouraged us from developing anything.

I WANTED TO LEAVE EARLY, BUT THEY DID NOT LET GO

— In history, Leonid Ilyich remained such a kind, even comical old man. Humming speech, thick eyebrows, funny parodies. Passionate kisses with communist comrades and African dictators...

— As for Brezhnev’s mumbling speech, illness is to blame. After clinical death in 1976, it was actually difficult for him to speak, much less speak for hours at conventions.

— Is it true that he wanted to leave his post and leave?

- Is it true. But we know the old truth: “The king is ruled by his retinue.” A very dense, I would even say impenetrable, reinforced concrete retinue has formed around Brezhnev. And Brezhnev’s departure could mean for many the loss of privileges and warm places.

— Countless jokes are connected with Brezhnev. They weren't out of nowhere, were they?

- Of course, not in vain. But, please note, there was not a single malicious joke. But there is no censorship in folk art. This says a lot.

HE STARTED BOTH DISARMAMENT AND THE AFGHAN WAR

— And Brezhnev was also called the “dove of peace.” Is this a joke or serious?

— Judge for yourself: the famous Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, from which the Americans have only just now withdrawn, is Brezhnev. The Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical and Biological Weapons is also Brezhnev. It sounds unusual, but largely thanks to Brezhnev, the world did not burn down in a nuclear war, but has survived to this day. It was he who established relations with US presidents and, together with Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, tame the leaders of third world countries.

— What about the Afghan war?

- Yes, that's a fact. But if you look at the documents from 1979, Brezhnev was initially categorically against sending troops into Afghanistan. In addition, it was assumed that the Afghan army would fight the Mujahideen, and the Soviet contingent would simply guard strategic targets, exerting psychological pressure on the Islamists. In reality, everything turned out to be wrong.

— What did the country come to the end of the Brezhnev era with, besides the famous BAM and the memorable Olympics-80?

— At the end of the Brezhnev era, namely in 1982, the USSR was the second state in the world in terms of industry and agriculture, although the quality of products, admittedly, lagged behind European ones. During the years of Leonid Ilyich's reign, the real well-being of the population increased 1.5 times, and the population of the USSR increased by 12 million people. The accessibility of medicine and higher education has reached its highest development.

In history, Leonid Ilyich remained such a kind, even comical old man. Humming speech, thick eyebrows, funny parodies

Photo: TASS photo chronicle.

Do not forget that under Brezhnev, 162 million people were provided with free housing! Today it sounds like science fiction! And bills for housing and communal services amounted to no more than 3% of the family budget.

BUREAUCRACY INTERFERED WITH MANAGERS

- The picture is too rosy. Were there any problems?

- Certainly. And big ones. But the main problems were in the system of party governance of the country. This is where the stagnation was! The fact is that in parallel with all government structures there were party ones. Starting from the very bottom. This is akin to the saying “seven nannies have a child without an eye.” There is a scientific law - parallel lines do not intersect. But there are no fortresses that the Bolsheviks could not take! Well, and the laws that they would not try to change, respectively.

— Again, the “oil needle”...

— Yes, the biggest disadvantage is, perhaps, the recession in the economy. In the last decade of the Brezhnev era, growth rates in the USSR noticeably decreased. Although it was precisely at this time that rich oil deposits were discovered in Siberia. And the USSR sat tightly on the “oil needle”, and only oil trade prevented the Soviet economy from collapsing sharply.

We are far behind the Americans in the development of high technology. In 1980, the era of personal computers began in the United States, but we didn’t even know such a word. And, of course, there is a shortage of goods. Many people also associate the Brezhnev era with him.

Under Brezhnev, no one could have imagined that such a huge power could collapse. But when people live in stability for too long, they stop appreciating it.

Photo: TASS photo chronicle.

WE WILL NOT REPEAT THIS “GOLDEN SOCIALISM” ANYMORE

— That is, during the Brezhnev era there was both stagnation and a golden age at the same time? On the one hand, Soviet people became richer. On the other hand, marking time later became the reason for perestroika. So?

— Perestroika actually led to the collapse of the USSR. Under Brezhnev, no one could have imagined that such a huge power could collapse. But when people live in stability for too long, they stop appreciating it. This has happened more than once in human history. Tense anticipation of change began to build. Tsoi has a song “Changes, we are waiting for changes,” which, after stagnation, was perceived very clearly and clearly what he sang about.

— Is there anything you can take as an example to follow from the Brezhnev era?

- It's almost impossible! Everything is different: both the country and the government. The political and economic stagnation of the late Leonid Ilyich is rather a lesson in what not to do.

But the surprising thing is that when people talk about nostalgia for the Soviet Union, they mean the Brezhnev era. Because his social policy was the best in the entire history of the USSR! But it’s unrealistic to repeat it in modern Russia.

Last hours of life

As mentioned earlier, the death of the Secretary General occurred on the morning of November 10th. Before this, he complained of a sore throat (apparently he caught a cold on the Kremlin podium at the time of the Parade). I couldn’t freeze during the evening hunt, as I watched what was happening from the window of a running car.

On Tuesday, Leonid Ilyich arrived in the Kremlin to meet with Andropov. Afterwards he returned to the dacha in “Zarechye-6”, refusing to watch the “Time” program, went to bed, his wife left after 2 hours.

In the morning, the guards, as usual, went to wake Brezhnev up and discovered his lifeless body. Having reported what had happened by phone, they began resuscitation efforts, but to no avail; Leonid Ilyich died.

Causes of death

Brezhnev, whose funeral took place in 1982, was seriously ill in recent years, suffering clinical death in 1976. For a long period after this he could not work. There was no complete recovery: thinking and speech were impaired, and hearing was seriously damaged. Several strokes and heart attacks required the constant presence of a resuscitator. Until the last hour, the leader of the CPSU was unable to overcome the craving for smoking and became addicted to sleeping pills.

His condition was obvious to everyone, but year after year nothing changed, and at the parade on November 7, 1982, the leader of the CPSU looked even better than usual. On the eighth he hunted in Zavidovo, and spent the day before his death in the Kremlin office. On the morning of the 10th, at a dacha in Zarechye, guards Medvedev and Sobachenkov were unable to wake up their owner, called intensive care and independently took measures to restart the stopped heart. Academician E.I. Chazov, who was summoned, stated death that occurred between 8 and 9 am.

Official reasons

The official conclusion of Brezhnev's death is sudden cardiac arrest, which occurred due to a detached blood clot. The reasons that contributed to this are also discussed:

• the underground struggle for the post of head of state, which Andropov claimed;
• absence of a personal doctor, Kirsanov. Leonid Ilyich released him the evening before his death;
• Nervous related to the love affairs of daughter Galina. At the time of the General Secretary's death, suspicions fell on her of the theft of diamonds committed by one of her lovers. Brezhnev's entourage informed him of all the details of the investigation, as a result of which the elderly man's heart could not stand it.

Message about the death of Leonid Ilyich

The official announcement of the death of “beloved Leonid Ilyich” was broadcast on radio and television. In schools and enterprises, employees were gathered in assembly halls, where radio broadcasts with deplorable speeches were listened to. Although the country froze in anticipation, it was clear that Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov would become the successor.

The country received 4 non-working mourning days and a day off after the funeral. At this time, ridicule and jokes about the General Secretary’s condition disappeared. People simply remained silent, and in the evenings they turned on the radio and secretly listened to the “enemy’s voices.”

About Brezhnev's death

And it was true - although the critical condition of the Soviet leader had been discussed by the whole country for several years, the death of the Secretary General was completely unexpected for everyone. Back on November 7, on the 65th anniversary of the October Revolution, Brezhnev defended a military parade and a “demonstration of the working people of Moscow” on the podium of the Mausoleum. At his last appearance in front of television cameras, the head of state looked no better or worse than usual. The old man, exhausted by illnesses, was breathing heavily, at times his lower jaw sagged, habitually pulled back - as if the Secretary General was swallowing saliva. Brezhnev had difficulty raising his hand and could barely shake it in greeting - this was due to an injury that was not reported at the time. On March 23, 1982, Brezhnev was in Uzbekistan. On this day, a trip to a factory that produced aircraft was planned. But in the morning they decided that Brezhnev would not go there and the security at the plant was removed. But then Brezhnev said: “There is time before lunch. We promised to visit the plant. People were preparing for the meeting, waiting for us. Not good...” First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan Rashidov immediately agreed: “Of course, Leonid Ilyich.” The Moscow group from the 9th Directorate of the KGB managed to arrive at the rally, but the local special services were delayed. When Brezhnev appeared in the huge assembly shop of the enterprise that produced the Il-76, there was a sea of ​​people there. To see Brezhnev, workers climbed the scaffolding around the aircraft under construction. The small security guards were unable to contain the crowd. People poured onto a wooden platform specially built for the meeting. Its structures could not stand it and collapsed. No one died, but Brezhnev, Rashidov, and the guards were injured. Brezhnev did not want to go to the hospital. He was taken to the residence, laid down, x-rayed and found to have a broken right collarbone. Brezhnev immediately asked to connect him with Andropov and told him: “Yura, an accident happened to me at the factory. I just ask you, don’t cut off anyone’s head there. Don't punish. It's my own fault. I went without warning, although they tried to dissuade me.” His collarbone never fused, and in general, after Tashkent, Brezhnev began to quickly fade away. In September 1982, he came to Baku to present the Republic with the Order of Lenin. Television broadcast live the speech of Leonid Ilyich at the ceremonial meeting. Brezhnev spoke slurredly, but the audience caught that instead of “Azerbaijan,” he said “Afghanistan.” Finally, he himself felt that something was wrong, fell silent, then said loudly: “It’s not my fault... I’ll have to read it first.” It turned out that he was given a performance prepared for a completely different meeting. The assistants urgently brought and placed another speech in front of Brezhnev. At that moment, television cameras showed the hall, which was wildly applauding... However, the rest of the year passed in more or less normal mode, and even the day of November 9 was spent by Brezhnev in his office. On the morning of November 10, as usual, at exactly two minutes to nine, the security officers left the office premises and entered the Zarechye-6 state dacha. On the ground floor, Victoria Petrovna was having breakfast in the dining room (she had diabetes and got up earlier) and after greeting her, the officers went up to the bedroom. Here one of them immediately went to the window and noisily pulled back the curtain. Brezhnev did not move. Then the other lightly touched him on the forearm: it was time to get up. No reaction. After repeated, more energetic attempts to wake up the Secretary General, the shocked guards will call Academician Chazov, head of the 4th Directorate of the Ministry of Health: “Leonid Ilyich urgently needs resuscitation!” When Chazov arrived, overtaking the ambulance, he saw that Brezhnev had died several hours ago. The conclusion signed by health care luminaries on the causes of death of the Secretary General will contain almost the entire medical encyclopedia: “The medical report on the disease and cause of death determines that Brezhnev L.I. suffered from atherosclerosis of the aorta with the development of an aneurysm of its abdominal section, stenotic atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, and ischemic disease hearts with rhythm disturbances, cicatricial changes in the myocardium after heart attacks. Between eight and nine o'clock on November 10, 1982, sudden cardiac arrest occurred. The pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis completely."

On November 11, around noon, all classes at our school suddenly stopped and everyone was gathered in the assembly hall, where they turned on the radio and listened to a message about Brezhnev’s death. It was also reported that the Soviet leadership created a commission to organize Brezhnev's funeral under the chairmanship of Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (anyone with ears could guess: this meant that Andropov would be the next Secretary General). After this, there were no more lessons - we were sent home, announcing four days of mourning with a day off on the day of the funeral. All these days, minor music was played on Soviet radio, and television channels broadcast symphonic music and Swan Lake. I couldn’t believe it: Brezhnev seemed eternal - as long as I remembered myself, I remembered him at the head of the state. For the most part, everyone was silent - no irony, no ridicule, which was openly expressed during Brezhnev’s life - I didn’t hear anything. There are also hopes for some changes in the country. Father did not leave the radio all evening, listening to “enemy voices”

;.

And on November 15, Central Television will broadcast the funeral ceremony for several hours. For the first time, the population of the country will be able to see the widowed First Lady of the USSR Victoria Petrovna and the scandalous daughter Galina, who is very similar to her father with a heavy face and thick eyebrows. In her presence they will show her youthful general-husband, Yuri Churbanov, also a gossip hero. A whole company of colonels will carry the deceased’s orders on silk pillows - they said that there were more than two hundred of them. During the funeral, factories and trains will stop for five minutes, sirens will sound for three minutes and artillery salutes will roar. There will be an impression (and then a persistent rumor) that while lowering it into the grave, Brezhnev’s coffin was dropped, but it was just a roar from the first salvo. You may not believe it, but many people cried before my eyes, and those who didn’t cry (like me) couldn’t laugh during that funeral either. Leonid Ilyich died in his sleep, calmly and without suffering - such a death was considered happy at all times. And with him, an entire era died, and its death cannot be called happy... But, “Brezhnev is dead, but I’m not yet,” as the stoned BG at that time distorted his own song in one of the Moscow apartments...

Funeral

The farewell ceremony for “dear Leonid Ilyich” took place in the House of Unions. It began on November 11, although mourning was declared only on the 12th.

Over the course of 3 days, a large number of people came to say goodbye to Brezhnev, from senior representatives of the Party to ordinary workers. The flow of people did not stop until the very end of the ceremony.

On November 15, 1982, at 10:15, the coffin with the body was loaded into an artillery carriage, heading towards Red Square at the head of the farewell ceremony. At 12:45 the lid of the coffin was nailed down, and he himself was lowered into the grave.

The funeral ceremony was broadcast on central television accompanied by a volley of cannons that accompanied the lowering of the leader's coffin. As a result, it seemed that the gravediggers could not hold it and dropped it. Subsequently, many discussions broke out on this issue, and the Central Committee decided not to show the burial ceremonies of other leaders on TV.

“As everyone recalled, the participants in Brezhnev’s burial received good bonuses. If they actually dropped the coffin, they would, at best, be out of work. Therefore, I think that this is a misconception,” this assumption is made by the author, specializing in the study of the life and death of L. I. Brezhnev, N. Syromyatnikov.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev died in his sleep. He passed away calmly, without unnecessary suffering and ordeal. Such a death was always perceived as happy. From this period, the so-called era of stagnation began to fade, which marked unprecedented conditions for social security and the greatness of the state for Soviet citizens. In fact, he was the last leader of the Union who strived and did something significant for the integrity of the state.

Funeral day

On November 15, Soviet schoolchildren did not go to class because classes at schools were cancelled. The coffin with Brezhnev's body was exhibited in the Column Hall of the House of Unions. After farewell in the House of Unions, the funeral procession moved to Red Square. The coffin, mounted on an artillery carriage, was accompanied by soldiers of the Moscow garrison. Generals and admirals carried Leonid Ilyich's awards on velvet pillows. A funeral meeting was held near the walls of the Kremlin. On the podium of the Mausoleum and on the guest podiums stood the leaders of the Soviet state, public figures, military commanders, heads of many states, and leaders in production.

Yuri Andropov and Dmitry Ustinov made speeches corresponding to the moment. The floor was also given to Viktor Pushkarev, a grinder at the Moscow Factory of Calculating and Analytical Machines. After the meeting, the coffin with the body of Leonid Ilyich was placed near the Kremlin wall, where the grave was prepared. Here members of his family said goodbye to Brezhnev.

At 12:45, to the sounds of the USSR national anthem and gun shots, the coffin was lowered into the grave. At the same minutes, artillery shots rang out in the capitals of the Union republics, in the hero cities and in thirteen other large cities of the USSR. The beeps of enterprises, as well as the signals of railway and water transport, sounded for three minutes.

Troops from the Moscow garrison then marched across Red Square, saluting the late Leonid Brezhnev, chairman of the USSR Defense Council.