Return to stability under Brezhnev

• • Brezhnev followed doctrine of 'Stability of Cadres'.
  • Re-Centralisation.
  • Political stagnation and Gerontocracy.
• • In 1976, 79% of the Central Committee was retained.
  • KGB Order 0051 saw 100K political dissidents encouraged to leave the country.
  • By 1984, 7 out of 11 members of the Politburo were over the age of 70 - meetings were cut to 40 minutes to accommodate this.

  • 1964-71: Only two new members of the Politburo. Its average was 75 in 1982.