ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the process of change in the position of general secretary between 1982, when Leonid Brezhnev died, and 1985, when Mikhail Gorbachev assumed the post. This process was accompanied by changes in several other posts, although the process evolved slowly. Leonid Brezhnev brought Soviet society a certain amount of tranquillity, which may have been precisely what was needed after the tumult of the Khrushchev years. The stability of the political system depends on its ability to cope with the problem of generational change. During the post-Stalin period, however, the Soviet regime seems to have been generally able to manage the succession process without a power struggle that would undermine the stability of the political order. Mikhail Gorbachev may indeed be the harbinger of a sort of Soviet politician. His legal training is unique among members of the Soviet leadership.
