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Yuri Andropov
He was a Soviet politician and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 12 November 1982 until his death fifteen months later. During the Prague Spring events of 1968 in Czechoslovakia, Andropov was the main proponent of the "extreme measures". He is known as ‘The Butcher of Budapest’ for his ruthless suppression of the Hungarian uprising.
During his rule, political decisions became public and were allowed to criticise. -
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster, also referred to as the Chernobyl accident or simply Chernobyl, was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Pripyat, then located in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union (USSR).It was decided by the authorities to keep the accident in secret, so the world didn´t become aware of it until many years later -
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement for reformation within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the 1980s, widely associated with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and his glasnost (meaning "openness") policy reform. The literal meaning of perestroika is "restructuring", referring to the restructuring of the Soviet political and economic system.
Perestroika is sometimes argued to be a cause of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. -
Konstantin Chernenko
He led the Soviet Union from 13 February 1984 until his death thirteen months later, on 10 March 1985. Chernenko represented a return to the policies of the late Brezhnev era. Nevertheless, he supported a greater role for the labour unions, and reform in education and propaganda. In foreign policy, he negotiated a trade pact with the People's Republic of China. Despite calls for renewed détente, Chernenko did little to prevent the escalation of the Cold War with the United States. -
Demokratizatsiya
Demokratizatsiya was a slogan introduced by General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in January 1987 calling for the infusion of "democratic" elements into the Soviet Union's single-party government. Gorbachev's Demokratizatsiya meant the introduction of multi-candidate - not multiparty - elections for local Communist Party (CPSU) and Soviets. In this way, he hoped to rejuvenate the party with progressive personnel who would carry out his institutional and policy reforms. -
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Gorbachov´s Presidency
Gorbachev's primary goal as general secretary was to revive the Soviet economy after the stagnant Brezhnev years.
He called for fast-paced technological modernization and increased industrial and agricultural productivity, and tried to reform the Soviet bureaucracy to be more efficient and prosperous. -
Foreign Policies under Gorbachev
He sought to improve relations and trade with the West by reducing Cold War tensions. He established close relationships with several Western leaders, such as West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Also during 1988, Gorbachev announced that the Soviet Union would abandon the Brezhnev Doctrine, and allow the Eastern bloc nations to freely determine their own internal affairs -
Glasnost Policy
The main goal of this policy was to make the country's management transparent and open to debate. It was introduced in the Soviet Union by President Gorbachov. This policy gave a sense of "freedom" to Soviet citizens.
