Read Chapter 9 "Real and Existing Socialism" pp. 214-242.
Based on Chapter 9 "Real and Existing Socialism", please answer the following questions in essay form.
- How does Kenez describe the politics of the 18-year Brezhnev era? What does “real and existing socialism”
mean and how did it come about? Include words like oligarchy, senescence, nomenklatura, cult of personality,
collective leadership, stability, middle class, bureaucracy, feudal hierarchy, elitism, entitlement and corruption.
Why, for the most part, did the Russian people accept and even like Brezhnev’s rule? What are your thoughts and observations about the Brezhnev period in Soviet political history
Sample Solution