October 14, 1964

IN THE WORLD

In 1964, opposition within the Politburo and the Central Committee led to Nikita Khrushchev's removal as First Secretary. On October 14, 1964, Leonid Brezhnev became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. As well as a sustained period of stability within the party and the country, Brezhnev’s tenure also ushered in what is now referred to as Brezhnev Stagnation; a time of massive socio-economic decline resulting from his acceptance of corruption within government.