Difference between revisions of "Yuri Andropov"
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| − | '''Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov''' (1914-1984) was Director of the [[KGB]] from 1967 to 1982, and in 1982 was elected General Secretary of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (CPSU), succeeding [[Leonid Brezhnev]]. Despite his hard-line past, which included | + | '''Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov''' (1914-1984) was Director of the [[KGB]] from 1967 to 1982, and in 1982 was elected General Secretary of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (CPSU), succeeding [[Leonid Brezhnev]]. Despite his hard-line past, which included leading roles in the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 (he was Soviet Ambassador to [[Hungary]] at the time), the suppression of the [[Prague Spring]] in 1968, and the 1979 Soviet invasion of [[Afghanistan]], Andropov was perceived in the West as a moderniser, and an opponent of the stagnation and corruption which was one of many factors impeding the Soviet economy. Adropov was General Secretary at the time of the Soviet shootdown of [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] on September 1, 1983, but his role in the incident is unkown. Apparently vigorous when he assumed supreme office, it was a surprise when his health rapidly declined. Following renal failure, he died on February 9, 1984, and was succeeded by the geriatric [[Konstantin Chernenko]]. |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andropov, Yuri}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Andropov, Yuri}} | ||
[[Category:Soviet Leaders]] | [[Category:Soviet Leaders]] | ||
Revision as of 15:41, January 15, 2008
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (1914-1984) was Director of the KGB from 1967 to 1982, and in 1982 was elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), succeeding Leonid Brezhnev. Despite his hard-line past, which included leading roles in the suppression of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 (he was Soviet Ambassador to Hungary at the time), the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968, and the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Andropov was perceived in the West as a moderniser, and an opponent of the stagnation and corruption which was one of many factors impeding the Soviet economy. Adropov was General Secretary at the time of the Soviet shootdown of Korean Airlines Flight 007 on September 1, 1983, but his role in the incident is unkown. Apparently vigorous when he assumed supreme office, it was a surprise when his health rapidly declined. Following renal failure, he died on February 9, 1984, and was succeeded by the geriatric Konstantin Chernenko.