Studii și Materiale de Istorie Contemporană, vol. XXIII, 2024

Simion GHEORGHIU, Politica în „Epoca stagnării”: consemnări în jurnalul lui Leonid Ilici Brejnev [Politics in the „Age of Stagnation”: Insights from Leonid Brezhnev’s Memoirs] 

The full text is available on CEEOL/ Textul integral al studiului poate fi accesat prin CEEOL: https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=1327800 

The article addresses a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues faced by the Soviet Union during the period of stagnation, as reflected in Leonid Brezhnev’s memoirs. Published in a limited edition after nearly a decade of sustained editorial efforts, and accompanied by a critical apparatus based largely on previously unpublished archival material, specially declassified for this project, Brezhnevʼs memoirs is a unique source in its own way. 

For researchers interested in the history of the USSR in its final period of existence, Brezhnevʼs autobiography is an important resource. It not only reconstructs the general framework of the era but also provides direct insight into the events experienced and influenced by the Soviet leader. 

The article summarizes the information from the three volumes of the memoirs, focusing on the Soviet Unionʼs relations with the United States, China, and the member countries of the Warsaw Treaty Organization. The contribution also dwells on issues pertaining to Soviet-Romanian relations, which drew the attention of the Moscow leader.

Keywords: Leonid Brezhnev, memoirs, stagnation, Cold War, Romanian-Soviet relations.