Chernenko was short in power, what did he do
There have been seven leaders in the history of the Soviet Union: Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko, and Gorbachev.
Among these leaders, Chernenko was the shortest general secretary of the CPSU and had no significant political achievements, so he was often overlooked.
But the men who could become the leaders of the Soviet Union were certainly not ordinary people, so why was Chernenko elected to this position? And what impact did his election have on the Soviet Union?
Shortly after Andropov became the leader of the Soviet Union, he rarely appeared for health reasons. However, in the spring of 1983, his condition began to deteriorate, and soon after, Andropov was already incapacitated.
Eventually, Andropov died on February 9, 1984, at the age of 70. Among his successors, Chernenko was born on September 24, 1911, into a Siberian peasant family.
At a young age, he joined the CPSU, and in 1941 he was appointed secretary of the Krayarsk Territory Committee. During the Great Patriotic War, Chernenko served in the army, but since most of the time he spent most of his time studying at the Moscow Higher Party School, he did not participate in real battles.
In 1948, Chernenko was sent to work in the propaganda department of the Republic of Moldavia, where he later met Brezhnev and developed a deep friendship.
In 1956, Chernenko moved to the ** agency, and in 1965, after Brezhnev took over the leadership, he appointed him the ** public minister, that is, the "general secretary".
Later, under the promotion of Burg, Chernenko served as secretary in 1976, became an alternate member of the Politburo the following year, and became a member of the Politburo again the year.
Brezhnev once recalled Chernenko as follows: "Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko was a young Communist Party member who had accumulated extensive experience in party affairs before that and had devoted himself to his work.
Later, he held a number of important positions in the party and the Soviets, demonstrating his talent and experience. Now, he has become a member of the Politburo of the CPSU and secretary of the CPSU.
Chernenko had always been Brezhnev's right-hand man, a friend and confidant, who excelled in ideology and party affairs, but was relatively weak in leadership experience at the grassroots level and in the independent regions, and was therefore called a 'typical and highly accomplished institutional power', lacking basic knowledge and experience of workers, peasants, and trades. ”
Chernenko was not keen on vying for the center of power, but tried to avoid being in public appearance. He is adept at influencing decision-making with the power of silence. Under Chernenko's leadership, the Public Ministry was transformed from a mere organizational service into an institution with power and management organs.
Any document, regardless of the degree of confidentiality, must be reviewed by the Public Ministry. Chernenko had in his hands the processing of Brezhnev's documents and the organization of meetings, and even the materials of the KGB had to be reviewed by him.
Chernenko's influence went beyond his position, and he established a deep relationship of trust with Brezhnev, becoming an indispensable assistant to Brezhnev during his serious illness.
On February 13, 1984, the Politburo of the CPSU decided to appoint Chernenko as the new leader of the Soviet Union. Despite his advanced age and poor health, some believe that he accepted the position because of a strong desire for power, this is not the case.
Chernenko agreed only after being persuaded by his comrades-in-arms, in order to prevent those who might change the traditional course of the Soviet balance of power from coming to power, and he was a representative of conservatives and those who advocated steady reforms.
In addition, Chernenko has performed very well in terms of integrity, and although he has the opportunity to receive countless benefits and rewards, he has always maintained a frugal life, and is called by many "out of the mud without staining".
Under great pressure, he withstood ** and maintained his influence. Chernenko was already in poor health when he was elected general secretary, but he knew that the leader of a big party and a big country should make a difference.
He attached great importance to the ideological education of young people and called for putting an end to the infiltration of bourgeois culture. In foreign relations, he took a hard line and was in line with the ideas of the Brezhnev period.
Despite the fact that Chernenko did not work in specific places and lacked practical knowledge of the situation at the grassroots level, he was still a true communist. His disadvantage was that he did not have much knowledge of economics, but his desire to continue reforming the economy on the basis of the innovations of the Andropov period led him to rely more on rookies such as Gorbachev.
In general, Chernenko was a politician with his own principles and convictions, and his governing philosophy was in the same vein as in the Brezhnev period, but with some innovations.
His election had a profound impact on the future of the Soviet Union.
Ryzhkov recalled the days when he was promoted by Andropov together with Gorbachev, and he stressed that in that period, without the support of the General Secretary, a ** secretary could not solve any issues of principle.
Our task is to propose to him a certain economic reform, which comes from the mouth of the leader and is extremely important for a large country. So, although the career has stagnated, it has not completely regressed.
Indeed, during this time, Chernenko, on the one hand, continued to play the shadow of Brezhnev, surrounded by a group of old people who were trying to preserve the old and his own rights, and he could not get rid of his mediocre style.
Broch's aides under Andropov made frequent appearances, and Tikhonov remained chairman of the Council of Ministers, continuing to use the highly centralized planning methods of the past. He was also less strict on discipline than his predecessor, and the signs of an economic upturn had slowed.
But, on the other hand, he supported the Ministry of Economy, founded by Andropov himself and headed by Ryzhkov, who gathered around Ryzhkov and others a group of experts and scholars with an innovative spirit, who drafted proposals for improving the management of the national economy by developing theoretical and experimental programs for economic reform.
From New Year's Day in 1984, they began the first batch of experiments in several large cities, and in May 1984, it was proposed to add 21 subordinate large and medium-sized enterprises from the second year to promote and test these programs, and at the same time, they were also considering the division of labor, decentralization and the formation of large-scale economic zones and scientific and technological progress in the republics and regions.
During his tenure of office, Chernenko took part in many foreign affairs activities and actively promoted the policy of building and developing socialism. Although he failed to improve the internal and external difficulties faced by the Soviet Union, he made contributions to improving the welfare of the people, improving democracy, strengthening national defense, and consolidating the status of a socialist state.
On the question of the stage of development of Soviet society, he inherited Andropov's "starting point theory" and held that the Soviet Union was at the beginning of perfecting a developed socialist society, stressing that it would take several generations of efforts to complete.
Unfortunately, Chernenko agreed to be elected under pressure and in the twilight years of exhaustion and frustration. He died at the age of 74 after 13 months as general secretary, marking an important point in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In subsequent developments, it has been recognized that a sound development strategy is more important than radical reforms.