The Brezhnev Era

The First Year Plan (FYP) adopted placed more emphasis on consumer goods production, a hallmark of the Brezhnev era. The man most suited by temperament and political instinct turned out to be Leonid Ilich Brezhnev. Brezhnev believed that his main forte was personnel policy. The role of the military also increased, not least in advising on foreign policy. Marshal Grechko, Andrei Gromyko and Yuri Andropov joined the top policy-making body. This leadership approach secured the stability which many sought but postponed hard decisions about economic and social reform. Brezhnev enhanced the role of the party in Soviet society, thus continuing a trend set by Khrushchev. The aim of the reform was to reduce administrative interference in economic management. Democratic socialism was the goal but voices were raised which favoured political pluralism as well. The passing of Khrushchev meant that the unpredictability went out of Russian literature.