"History of Russia in 100 Minutes" is a crash course for beginners. Here you will find the complete history summarized and retold in simple language with accurate dates, the most relevant names and essential concepts. After finishing the course, you will know:
- The basic characteristics of Russian history in different epochs
- The 54 most important rulers and 106 historical persons in Russian history
- 126 key dates and events in Russian history
- The basic terms and concepts of Russian history
The text is accompanied by numerous online resources:
- 20,000 pictures
- 700 videos
- 3,500 songs
- 100 podcast episodes
All that is available via the smarthistories.com website.
[ Ссылка ]
Narrated by: Sammi Bold
Written by: Tanel Vahisalu
Edited by: Madis Maasing and Kerry Kubilius
Proofread by: Tony Burnett
Graphic Art by: Mehak Zaib Suddle
Video:
“Leonid Brezhnev: Pages From His Life”
"Prague 1968: Invasion de la Tchécoslovaquie par le Pacte de Varsovie” by WketDZ
Music:
"Tchaikovsky (Part II)" and "Crocodile Ghena's Song" (1995) by J.M.K.E.
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BREZHNEV'S STAGNATION
The Khrushchev Thaw was followed by the 20-year-rule of Leonid Brezhnev. It was a time of relaxed foreign relations and internal standstill. During Brezhnev's, “Era of Stagnation,” the Soviet Union became politically, economically, and socially backward, and the need for reforms grew increasingly acute.
JOINT LEADERSHIP
Many high-level communists believed that the Khrushchev Thaw had gone too far and that his politics needed to be reversed. Khrushchev's rule was replaced by the joint leadership of three men: Leonid Brezhnev, Alexey Kosygin, and Nikolay Podgorny. There was some experimentation with reforms in the beginning, but, in a few years, Brezhnev managed to outmaneuver the other two. With Leonid Brezhnev now in full power, the reactionary political groups had won.
ERA OF STAGNATION
The following two decades became known as the “Era of Stagnation.” It was a time of standstill and limited freedom. Censorship increased, and political dissidents were oppressed and imprisoned. Communist propaganda saw its revival, also there was less criticism of Stalin's crimes. Stagnation became visible in all levels of society: in the economy, in politics, and in culture.
FOREIGN POLICY
In 1968, Czechoslovakia was going through the Prague Spring. The leader, Alexander Dubček, was experimenting with liberal reforms, which were to be called, “… socialism with a human face.” Brezhnev, and his advisors in Moscow decided to send tanks in Prague to put down the popular movement. Thus, the right of the Soviet Union to intervene militarily in the affairs of other satellite states, came to be known as, “The Brezhnev Doctrine.”
DÉTENTE
The time from 1969 - 72 is known as the “Relaxation of Tensions,” or, “Détente.” The Soviet Union and the United States made several efforts to mutually contain the arms race and minimize conflict. Its peak was Richard Nixon’s visit to Moscow in 1972.
Another highlight was the 1975 Helsinki Accords when Western countries agreed to accept Soviet hegemony over Eastern Europe in exchange for more civil rights for its inhabitants.
Thereafter, relations turned colder again and remained so until the Perestroika of 1985. It was reinforced by the Afghan War (1979-89), where the Soviet Union was unable to conquer Afghanistan.
GERONTOCRACY
Brezhnev died in 1982. He was seventy-five years old. Two of his followers, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko, were also sick and old and did nothing to reform the Soviet Union, though they carried on the “Era of Gerontocracy,” (rule of old people). By the mid-1980’s, the Soviet Union was no longer at a standstill, but rather in an extensive political, economic, and social crisis. It needed reforms in order to survive.
