The Brezhnev Doctrine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

East German Military

In this poster Brezhnev proclaims that the Soviet Bloc is ' as united as never before.'

 

 

Leonid Brezhnev became Genral secretary of the Soviet Union in 1964 after removing Khrushchev. In 1968 he faced the Prague Spring rebellion against Communist leadership and sent in Soviet troops to crush it. In Nov of 1968 he reiterated the Soviet Union's right to use force in the Eastern Bloc to safeguard Communism. This became known as the Brezhnev Doctrine. It was not until Mikhail Gorbachev made the de facto renouncing of this doctrine in 1989 by refusing to interfer in the internal affairs of eastern Bloc countries that it was safe to protest against Communism without Soviet intervention. Khrushchev had renounced the excesses of Stalin, after Brezhnev came into power he spoke favorably of Stalin .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ulbricht Replaced by Honecker