Leonid Brezhnev was leader of the Soviet Union for almost two decades when it was at the height of its powers. This book is a long overdue reappraisal of Brezhnev the man and the system over which he ruled. By incorporating much of the new material available in Russian, it challenges the received wisdom about the Brezhnev years, and provides a fascinating insight into the life and times of one of the twentieth century's most neglected political leaders.

MIKE BOWKER Lecturer, University of East Anglia, Norwich
BEN FOWKES Previously, Senior Lecturer in History, University of North London
JOHN GOODING Reader in History, University of Edinburgh
MARK HARRISON Professor of Economics, University of Warwick
IAN D. THATCHER Senior Lecturer in Modern Russian History, University of Leicester
MARK WEBBER Senior Lecturer in Politics, Department of European Studies, Loughborough University

Acknowledgements Notes on the Contributors Reconsidering Brezhnev; E.Bacon Brezhnev as Leader; I.D.Thatcher Economic Growth and Slowdown; M.Harrison The National Question in the Soviet Union under Brezhnev; B.Fowkes Brezhnev and Superpower Relations; M.Bowker 'Out of Area Operations': the Third World; M.Webber A Triumph of Ideological Hairdressing? Intellectual Life in the Brezhnev Era Reconsidered; M.Sandle Brezhnev and Developed Socialism; M.Sandle The Roots of Perestroika; J.Gooding Brezhnev Reconsidered; E.Bacon & M.Sandle