History

In the history of the Soviet Union political leaders occupy a special place. From Joseph Stalin and to Leonid Brezhnev, political leaders in the Soviet Union were always surrounded by a kind of mystical atmosphere, which turned them into superhumans and granted them unlimited opportunities and rights. In many instances, political cults were the products of the authoritarian regime that reflected in the way leaders behaved, as well as the policies which they promote in political, social, cultural, and economic spheres. Where Joseph Stalin exemplified terror and coercion, and where Nikita Khrushchev was the example of absolute economic and political non-professionalism, Leonid Brezhnev became the author of the real socialism, which had to become the source of liberalization but, instead, threw the country down into an economic and social abyss.
   
Stalins ability to utilize the benefits of the existing political institutions and to personalize his control over them became the source of terror and coercive power, as well as the cause and the basis for the development of the most ruthless authoritarian regime in the 20th century. As a Soviet leader, Stalin sought to justify his coercion and terror with the help of Marxist principles, which positioned integrity and political commitment in society as the fundamental elements of successful economy. However, Stalins economic and political initiatives were hardly ever successful. In political contexts, Stalin was able to centralize personal power and to develop his own cult. In economics, industrialization and collective farming had to speed up the process of achieving Five-Year goals. Coercion and power for Stalin had to establish discipline in economics and labor as such modernization in Stalins eyes was meaningless without terror. Joseph Stalins leadership led to the development class rage among the Soviet people, but he also tried to protect the Soviet national interests by creating a political and military alliance with Germany Stalin always feared that the West would destroy the Soviets before he finished the process of industrialization. Unfortunately, and at the same time, he himself acted against the international and military interests of his country, as long as his terror destroyed the most prominent military leaders and did not leave the Soviet army any chance to withstand the political and military threats that were coming from other states.
   
The death of Stalin in 1953 was met with a painful relief. Stalins death put an end to the continuous terror and dethroned his political cult. Nikita Khrushchev came to emphasize the meaning of economic and political reforms and, in distinction from Stalin, did not view power and coercion as the best tools of modernization. In the history of the Soviet Union, Khrushchev was the first to prioritize the production of consumer goods and housing construction. He also wanted to increase agricultural production and saw consolidation of smaller farms into larger units as an effective economic solution.

The cultivation of semiarid lands in Central Asia and Siberia became the distinctive feature of Khrushchevs economic vision. In politics, Khrushchev became the author of the thaw and rehabilitated the majority of Stalins victims. However, in many aspects, Khrushchevs vision of leadership was similar to that of Stalin he did not try to eliminate the principles of authoritarian ruling, nor did he abandon the role and importance of heavy industry in economy and he also continued to invest into arms race and military research . With his open contempt to professionals and the lack of political and economic knowledge, Khrushchev quickly lost his prestige, leaving the Soviet Union with disrupted economy and bifurcated bureaucratic apparatus  the issues, which had to be but were not addressed by his follower Leonid Brezhnev.
   
Brezhnevs leadership was associated with the false vision of real socialism society was tired of waiting for innumerous social and economic benefits to fall down on their heads, and the Soviet leaders decided to persuade the Soviet people that what they living in was nothing else but real socialism. Insignificant economic reforms and relative economic liberalization proposed by Khrushchev were soon forgotten and Brezhnev brought the country back into the atmosphere of centralized planning. Brezhnev did not try to change the structure of political institutions in the country but favored the growth of the countrys bureaucracy. The functions and roles of institutions and ministries under Brezhnev were not limited to those of any government but had to control every element of economic performance.
In the Soviet economy, Brezhnev failed to pursue the principles of consumer production  the shortage of the basic consumer goods turned into a notorious tradition. Agriculture suffered the consequences of Khrushchevs misbalanced economic vision, which Brezhnev was not able to address. The standard of living in the Soviet Union became even more problematic than a decade before, and by the end of Brezhnevs leadership, the growth of black markets and the failure of economic reforms turned into the distinctive features of Brezhnevs legacy in the U.S.S.R.
   
In the history of the Soviet Union leaders occupy a special place. Surrounded by a kind of mystical atmosphere, Soviet leaders actively promoted authoritarianism to preserve their political power. More often than not, their political, economic, and social ideas and initiatives were the products of absolute non-professionalism and political short-sightedness. Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev were as similar as they were also different. Although not all of them pursued the principles of terror and coercion, and although some of them tried to reform the stagnated economy, all soviet leaders remained increasingly committed to the authoritarian political tradition and did not leave the soviet population a single chance to improve the conditions of their living.