Changes

===Brezhnev===

===Brezhnev===

Aleksey Kosygin became Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and [[Leonid Brezhnev]] was made First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 1964. In 1971, Brezhnev rose to become "first among equals" in a collective leadership. Brezhnev died in 1982 and was succeeded by [[Yuri Andropov]] (1982–84) and [[Konstantin Chernenko]] (1984-85).  

Aleksey Kosygin became Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and [[Leonid Brezhnev]] was made First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 1964. In 1971, Brezhnev rose to become "first among equals" in a collective leadership. The Brezhnev era is known as the Years of Stagnation, while the collective [[Marxist]] leadership continue manufacture and export of conventional weapons to "oppressed" malcontents globally will the stated aim to overthrow [[bourgeois]] and [[imperialist]] governments worldwide while sacrificing domestic economic development. Living standards scarcely improved while free market and profit motive remained banned. Corruption, the [[blackmarket]], and an unholy alliance between the [[KGB]] and local [[mafia]] who smuggled and traded in foreign goods flourished. The communist corruption of society, culture, and government engendered in this era survived the collapse of the communist government into modern times in fraudulent accounting practices, bribery, kickbacks, and tax evasion being commonplace and considered necessary to survive.

 

Brezhnev died in 1982 and was succeeded by [[Yuri Andropov]] (1982–84) and [[Konstantin Chernenko]] (1984-85).

 

===Gorbachev and the fall of Communism===

===Gorbachev and the fall of Communism===

In 1985, [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] became the next (and last) General Secretary of the CPSU. Gorbachev introduced policies of [[perestroika]] (restructuring) and [[glasnost]] (openness). But his efforts to reform the creaky Communist system from within failed. The people of the Soviet Union were not content with half-freedoms granted by Moscow; they demanded more and the system collapsed. [[Boris Yeltsin]] was elected the first president of the Russian Federation in 1991. Russia, Ukraine and Belarus formed the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991. Gorbachev resigned as Soviet President on December 25, 1991. Eleven days later, the U.S.S.R. was formally dissolved.

In 1985, [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] became the next (and last) General Secretary of the CPSU. Gorbachev introduced policies of [[perestroika]] (restructuring) and [[glasnost]] (openness). But his efforts to reform the creaky Communist system from within failed. The people of the Soviet Union were not content with half-freedoms granted by Moscow; they demanded more and the system collapsed. [[Boris Yeltsin]] was elected the first president of the Russian Federation in 1991. Russia, Ukraine and Belarus formed the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991. Gorbachev resigned as Soviet President on December 25, 1991. Eleven days later, the U.S.S.R. was formally dissolved.