The history of the Soviet Union is a complex and heterogeneous historical phenomenon, when the period is characterized not by objective reasons for the development of the state, but by personal characteristics of the ruler. A special milestone in Soviet historiography is the era of stagnation. This stage is connected with the board of the Secretary General Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev and is characterized by gerontocracy - the power of the oldest.
The era of Brezhnev
In 1964 there was another change of leadership of the Soviet Union. The current secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Nikita Khrushchev, was removed from office in connection with the charge of voluntarism. He was replaced by a war hero Leonid Brezhnev.
Historians disagree on the significance of the Brezhnev era. Some say that it was the "golden time of the USSR", while others mercilessly scolded the first Secretary General of the Soviet Union for creating prerequisites for the collapse of the state. The only President of the USSR, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, described this period as an era of stagnation.
Gerontocracy in the USSR
The irremovability of power in the late period of the Soviet Union is a textbook example. Gerontocracy is a term denoting a method of administrative management in which the apparatus is preserved, a policy of personnel irremovability is implemented. Continuation of this course leads to the decline and backwardness of the state.
It is important to note that the main prerequisite for the formation of gerontocracy is the weakening of the country's regime. During the reign of Joseph Stalin, there were constant executions of employees of the administrative apparatus in the country, which contributed to the active rotation of personnel. As a result of the active process of de-Stalinization in society and in the state apparatus, revaluation of values and dismissals began to occur less and less.
People began to decipher the abbreviation of the USSR as "The Country of the Oldest Leaders".
The characteristic of the "era of stagnation"
Speaking about the Brezhnev period of government, it is necessary to highlight a number of key characteristics:
1. Political conservation of the ruling regime.
Over the 20 years of the reign of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, the administrative apparatus in the country has not changed. Gerontocracy is a characteristic feature of the irremovability of power in the late period of the Soviet Union. The average age of members of the Politburo was 60-70 years, which meant a lifetime occupation of posts in the state apparatus. The meetings of the members of the Politburo took no more than 15-20 minutes a day due to the ill health of many of its members.
Under the slogan of ensuring stability in the state, political stagnation began to occur rapidly. People in power for a long time could not objectively look at the political and social changes in the situation. This largely served as the main cause of the collapse of the USSR.
2. Active development of the military sphere.
The active phase of the Cold War fell on the Brezhnev era, when the situation in the world grew tense every day. In this regard, the primary task of the authorities was to ensure the country's security by increasing military potential. During this historical period, the Soviet Union was developing various types of weapons.
3. The economic decline of the country.
Both in the political and in the economic life of society in the 70s, stagnation is observed. The USSR is gradually slowing down its pace of development and exists only with money from the sale of oil. However, in 1973 there was a global economic crisis, which largely brought down the economy of the Soviet state.
In the field of agrarian policy, negative dynamics were also observed. The yield loss was about 30%, which became a huge figure for the USSR. This was largely due to the fact that an active increase in the urban population began. The food crisis has begun in the country. This especially affected the territories of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, since in these regions agriculture was the main activity.
Household gerontocracy
The power of the elders was carried out not only in the highest state bodies, but also in ordinary life. Household gerontocracy is a process in society when the privileges of elders were greatly exaggerated compared to their children and grandchildren. For example, the wages of young people were significantly lower than the old-age pensions. This paved the way for social destabilization in the country.