The secret police under Brezhnev

Question 1

In ____ Brezhnev promoted ____ ________ to head the ___

Answer 1

1967
Yuri Andropov
KGB

Question 2

What was Andropov’s strategy as head of the KGB?

Answer 2

His strategy was to achieve maximum control through a minimum of violence

Question 3

Andropov’s political views

Answer 3

Andropov was a conservative, suspicious of liberalisation

Question 4

Although Andropov was a ___________ and suspicious of ________ _______, there was no return to the mass ______ of the Civil War or of the ______ period

Answer 4

conservative
cultural
freedom
terror
Stalin

Question 5

Andropov’s key priority was the

Answer 5

suppression of dissidents

Question 6

Andropov’s key priority was the suppression of dissidents - what did he issue that reflects this?

Answer 6

In 1968 he issued KGB Order No. 0051, “On the tasks of state security agencies in combating ideological sabotage by the adversary”. The Order set out the policy of increased surveillance of and action against dissidents

Question 7

Andropov reformed the KGB to ensure that it could effectively identify dissidents. Between 1967 and 197 he introduced the following measures to ensure that the KGB was highly efficient

Answer 7

• KGB agents were not allowed to accept gifts and were forced to declare their financial assets
• KGB agents whose relatives broke the law were sacked

Question 8

Emigration was Andropov’s preferred weapon against well-known dissidents. However, less well-known figures could be sent to…

Answer 8

psychiatric institutions for compulsory psychiatric treatment. The policy had been used by Stalin and Khrushchev, but was expanded dramatically under Brezhnev

Question 9

Under Andropov the KGB employed more…

Answer 9

sophisticated techniques (including surveillance, harassment and hospitalisation) to keep dissident groups small, divided and suspicious of each other

Question 10

Benefits of repressive psychiatry under Andropov

Answer 10

Officially, the government argued that anti-Soviet behaviour was a sign of a “paranoid reformist delusion”: a mental illness. Andropov did not believe this. However, he recognised that sending someone to hospital was much less likely to attract the attention of the world media than sending someone to prison.

Criminal records were public documents and therefore Western journalists could trace dissidents who were sent to prison. psychiatric records were private; therefore it was easier for the government to hide its repression

As psychiatric patients, their “treatment” could continue indefinitely, whereas prison terms had to come to an end. Finally, psychiatric patients could be prescribed medication to keep them quiet

Question 11

Andropov changes the emphasis of the KGB from…

Answer 11

repression to prevention

Question 12

Why did Andropov change the emphasis of the KGB from repression to prevention? + provide an example

Answer 12

He did this for two main reasons. First he believed that Stalinist repression was ineffective. Second, there was a growing belief in the party that socialism was incompatible with widespread repression

From November 1972, the KGB adopted a policy of issuing official warnings

Question 13

Nonetheless, warnings did not always persuade dissidents to conform. In such cases dissidents could be:

Answer 13

• exiled
• sent to prison
• sent to psychiatric institutions for “treatment”
• demoted or sacked from their jobs

Question 14

The number of dissidents sent to prison more than ____ under Andropov

Answer 14

tripled

Question 15

Who were the most high-profile dissidents of the Brezhnev period?

Answer 15

Sakharov and Solzhenitsyn

Question 16

Andrei Sakharov

Answer 16

Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989) was a prominent Soviet physicist and human rights activist. He played a key role in the development of the Soviet Union’s nuclear weapons program and later became an outspoken critic of the government’s policies, particularly its violation of human rights. Sakharov is known for his efforts to promote disarmament, freedom of speech, and political openness in the Soviet Union. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 for his advocacy of human rights.

Question 17

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Answer 17

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918-2008) was a Russian writer and historian, best known for his works exposing the harsh realities of life under Soviet totalitarianism. His most famous work, “The Gulag Archipelago,” exposed the Soviet forced labour camp system and its atrocities. Solzhenitsyn’s writings often criticized the Soviet regime and explored themes of freedom, morality, and the resilience of the human spirit. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970 for his literary contributions

Question 18

In 1975 Sakharov published “__ _______ ___ ___ _____”

Answer 18

My
Country
and
the World

Question 19

The Helsinki Agreement

Answer 19

The 1975 Helsinki Agreement committed countries across Europe to respect human rights. The Soviet Government was a signatory of the agreement. Consequently, following 1975 dissidents used this to show that the treatment of dissidents was in breach of Soviet obligations under the Helsinki Agreement. Dissidents knew that they could not legally force the government to respect human rights even after the agreement was signed. But they could use the agreement as publicity to embarrass the government and thereby create pressure for change

Question 20

With the exception of one or two high-profile outspoken figures, Andropov’s methods were successful in dealing with Soviet dissidents. However, 1979 was a difficult year for the Soviet Government and therefore they introduced stricter policies in anticipation of growing dissent. The problems facing the leadership included:

Answer 20

• economic slow down
• poor harvests
• war in Afghanistan
• the failure of Brezhnev’s negotiations with the USA
• growing corruption
• growing non-conformity

Question 21

Andropov was aware of Brezhnev’s failings as a leader:

Answer 21

the corruption of large parts of the government and popular discontent with the government. Moreover, he was concerned about growing anti-Communist feeling in Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland where rising food prices had led to mass strikes. Andropov used information about popular discontent to justify a series of authoritarian policies

Question 22

According to KGB reports, loss of faith in the system led to social malaise which included an increase in:

Answer 22

• alcoholism
• poor labour discipline
• increased black market trade
• avoidance of military service
• demand for Western goods
• sympathy for strikes taking place in Poland
• increased Church attendance
• Failing birth rate

Question 23

Andropov introduced a series of policies designed to tackle the malaise by heightening discipline - what were some of these policies?

Answer 23

• Anti-corruption
• Anti-alcohol campaign
• Operation Trawl

Question 24

Anti-corruption

Answer 24

Andropov investigated senior party officials and industrial managers who were using Soviet resources to make themselves rich

Question 25

Anti-alcohol campaign

Answer 25

Workers could be sacked and put on trial for drunkenness and could be fined for damaging machinery or products if they were drunk at work

Question 26

Operation Trawl