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Predominant Leader Within the Collective, 1964–82

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Collective Leadership in Soviet Politics

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership ((PSPL))

Abstract

The overthrow of Khrushchev led to a reassertion of collective principles, but even so over time Brezhnev was able to work himself into a position of predominance. The difference between him and his predecessors is that he exercised his predominance in ways that strengthened the collective rather than challenging it. Institutionally this saw the regularization of party processes, including the Politburo, and a generally consensual mode of decision-making. The downside is that it contributed to a sense of stasis in the country, of opportunities missed and pressures for change bottled up. But it did provide a genuinely collective mode of running the country, even given the predominance of Brezhnev.

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  1. Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Graeme Gill

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  1. Graeme Gill
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Correspondence to Graeme Gill .

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Gill, G. (2018). Predominant Leader Within the Collective, 1964–82. In: Collective Leadership in Soviet Politics. Palgrave Studies in Political Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76962-2_6

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