1964: KRUSCHEV IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE WAS FROCED TO TAKE MISSILES OUT OF CUBA

1. 1964: KRUSCHEV IS GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE WAS FROCED TO TAKE MISSILES OUT OF CUBA

2. WHO DID THE BETTER JOB, KENNEDY OR KRUSCHEV? AS FAR AS RUSSIA WAS CONCERNED, KRUSCHEV WAS A FAILURE #1. EVEN THOUGH HE GOT US TO AGREE THAT WE WOULDN’T INVADE CUBA (WHICH WAS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT) HE WAS FORCED TO TAKE ALL OF THE SOVIET NUKES OUT OF CUBA. AN EMBARASSEMNT FOR THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE TO SAY THE LEAST. #2. HE WAS ALSO FORCED TO BUILD THE BERLIN WALL WHICH WAS ESSENTIALLY ADMITTING DEFEAT FOR LENINISM AND MARXISM

3. #3. KRUSCHEV ALSO LOST CUBA. CASTRO WAS SO UPSET AT KRUSCHEV’S HANDLING OF THE AFFAIR THAT HE STARTED FUNDING HIS OWN COMMIE ARMIES ALL OVER AFRICA (BUT HE STILL HAD TO KEEP GUANTANAMO. HA-HA!) #4. AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, NOW CHINA REALLY LOOKED AT KRUESCHEV AS A WEAKLING. FISRT HE CALLS STALIN A DEMON, THEN CLAIMS COMMUNISM AND CAPITALISM CAN “CO-EXIST” AND NOW THIS!.

4. NOW FOR JOHN F. KENNEDY: WAS HE INCREDIBLY BRAVE, OR INCREDIBLY STUPID? #1. ARE YOU CRAZY, RISKING NUCLEAR WAR OVER SOVIET NUKES IN CUBA. COME ON! AND GIVING KRUSCHEV AN ULTIMATUM. ARE U MAD? AND YOU MADE IT PUBLIC TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY!? ARE YOU TRYING TO START WORLD WAR 3?

5. 1964! THEY WANTED SOMEONE BORING, SOMEONE ORDINARY. SO THEY CHOSE THE MOST BORNG AND THE MOST ORDINARY GUY THEY COULD FIND: LEONID BREZHNEV

7. WHEN KRUSCHEV DIED IT WAS DECIDED THAT NOBODY WOULD BE PRESIDENT AND HEAD OF THE PARTYAT THE SAME TIME. • BREZHENV TRIED THIS SYSTEM OF “COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP”, BUT EVENTUALLY BREZHNEV WOULD BE BOTH THE GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNIST PART AND PRESIDENT OF THE SOVIET UNION.

8. THE POLITBURO • ALSO CALLED THE PRESIDIUM. • THE DECISION MAKERS OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY

11. THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS: • KIND OF LIKE PRESIDENT OBAMA’S CABINET • THE CHAIRMAN AOF ALL THE MINISTERS WAS CALLED……………….THE PRIME MINISTER

12. NOMENKLATURA: • THE UPPER CLASS • THE RULING CLASS • THE HIGH MEMBERS OF THE PARTY • THE LOCAL DECISION MAKERS • THEY ARE THE ONES WHO WANTED STABILITY AFTER KRUSCHEV.

13. APPARACHIK: • A MAN OF THE PARTY • PREDICTABLE • OLD • NOT A RADICAL

14. THE CULT OF PERSONALITY BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT OF STALIN JUST LIKE STALIN JUST LIKE LENIN JUST LIKE MAO JUST LIKE CASTRO JUST LIKE ZENAH LET’S LOOK AT THE PROPAGANDA POSTER ON PAGE 170

27. BUT THE QUESTION HE WAS FACING WAS STILL THIS: • “HOW TO MODERNIZE AND LIBERALIZE THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY, • ANDKEEP COMMUNISM AT THE SAME TIME?”

28. PLUS, 25% OF THE SOVIET GDP WAS SPENT ON THE MILITARY AND THE SPACE RACE! • 1972: CROP FAILURES AND FOOD SHORTAGES • 1975: CROP FAILURES AGAIN!! • RUSSIA EVEN HAS TO IMPORT GRAIN FROM, OH-MY GOD, WESTERN-IMPERIALIST POWERS!

29. BREZHNEV WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR 3 5-YEAR PLANS • 1965-1970 (SUCCESSFUL BUT..) • 1971-1975 (NOPE!) • 1976-1981 (NOPE!)

30. BREZHNEV IS FORCED TO RELAX THE COMMUNIST RULES ON FARMS. HE ALLOWS FARMERS TO SELL SURPLUS FOOD THAT THEY GROW! WHY? FARMERS WOULD HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO GROW MORE FOOD (THIS MARKS THE 1ST BLOW IN ENDING SOCIALIST COLLECTIVIZED CENTRAL PLANNING)

31. BREZHNEV ALLOWS FARM MANAGERS TO ACTUALLY MAKE DECISIONS. • BUT…. • THE MACHINERY WAS STILL GARBAGE! • THE MANAGERS WOULD SET LOW GOALS AND THEN, WOW, MEET THEM! • WORKERS WANTED $$$$ WHETHER THE STUFF THEY MADE BROKE OR NOT! • THE ARMS INDUSTRY WAS TOO BIG.

32. BREZHNEV MAKES THE UNBELIEVABLE DECSION TO ACTUALLY ALLOW FARMERS TO OWN PERSONAL PLOTS BY THE 1970’S:PRIVATE PLOTS = 4% OF ALL LAND BUT = 30% OF ALL FOOD

37. BREZHNEV’1977 CONSTITUTION: • THE PROLETARIAN REVOLUTION HAS SUCCEEDED! DEVELOPED SOCIALISM IS HERE! • OH, AND BY THE WAY. JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT THE COMMUNIST PARTY IS RUSSIA!

38. NO POLITICAL OPPOSITION IS ALLOWED • ONLY ONE NAME ON THE BALLOT • PERSONAL PROPERTY WAS ALLOWED (REFRIGRATORS AND TV’S) • BUT NO FREEDOM OF SPEECH • NO FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY • NO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS • (LET’S LOOK AT ARTICLE 13 ON PAGE 174)

39. 1970’S: 32% OWN A REFRIGERATOR 50% OWN A TV 1980’S: 86% OWN A REFRIGERATOR 86% OWN A TV

40. NONE OF IT REALLY WORKS THOUGH. WHY? • THEY COULDN’T BUILD ANYTHING, COULDN’T BUY ANYTHING, COULDN’T MAKE ANYTHING, COULDN’T SELL ANYTHING, COULDN’T STEAL ANYTHING, COULDN’T FIX ANYTHING, COULDN’T TRADE ANYTHING……

41. THEN, BREZHEV INHERITS A CULTURE OF DISSENT • PEOPLE KNEW THAT STALIN AND HIS GULAGS WERE GONE • ALEXANDER SOLZENITSYIN PUBLISHES “THE GULAG ARCHAPELIGO” • PEOPLE LIKE MY DAD START TO WHISPER IN THE COFFEE SHOPS!

42. HE WAS IMRISONED IN 1945 FOR WRITING LETTERS ABOUT STALIN IN WHICH HE CALLED STALIN NAMES. • HE GOT 8 YEARS FOR THIS • HE WAS SNETNECED TO THE INFAMOUS LUBYANKA PRISON • HE WAS EVENTUALLY EXILED TO THE UNITED STATES, ONLY TO RETURN IN 1994 AFTER THE SOVIET UNION HAD COLLAPSED.

44. DISSENT CONTINUES…. • SOVIET JEWS, LIKE MY MOM, WERE ALLOWED TO LEAVE. THIS IS FOR 2 REASONS; • 1. THEY DIDN’T WANT US ANYWAY (COMMUNISM HAD A SEVERE HATRED FOR ALL RELIGIONS BUT ESPECIALLY JUDAISM) • 2. A LOT OF INFLUENCE FROM ABROAD FROM ISREAL AND THE UNITED STATES

45. SOME COUNTRIES LIKE ESTONIA, LATVIA AND LITHUANIA START TO OPENLY COMPLAIN TO BREZHNEV. AT FIRST, IT’S ALL GOOD!

49. THE BREZHNEV DOCTRINE: IN 1968 A REVOLUTION STARTS IN CZECHOSLAVAKAI CALLED “THE PRAGUE SPRING”. MAN DOES BREZHNEV SEND IN THE TANKS. HE STATES THAT “IF YOU REVOLT, POLAND, ROMANIA, EAST GERMANY ETC. WE WILL CRUSH YOU!!!! THIS IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE A DUTY TO PROTECT SOCIALISM WORLDWIDE! AND WE WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO JEOPARDIZE IT. EVEN IF WE MUST SLAUGHTER EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!

50. THINGS START TO IMPROVE A LITTLE • DÉTENTE • SALT IN 1972 (CHAPTER 13) • NO MORE VIETNAM IN 1973 • THE HELSINKI PEACE ACCORDS IN 1975 THAT MANDATED PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY THE SOVIET UNION. • UNFORTUNATELY, THE SOVIET UNION WAS ACTIVELY SUPPORTING COMMUNIST GROUPS ISN ANGLOA, MOZAMBIQUE AND ETHIOPIA BUT THAT’S OK