The term "stagnation" is commonly used to refer to a period spanning over two decades in the history of the USSR - from the moment Leonid Brezhnev came to power in 1964 and until the January 1987 plenum of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, after which large-scale reforms began in the country. It is believed that this term was first used by M. S. Gorbachev in his political report to the XXVII Congress of the CPSU. In it, he said that stagnation began to appear in the social and economic life of society.
Positive phenomena of the era of stagnation
This term does not have an unambiguous interpretation, since during this period both negative and positive phenomena took place in the USSR. According to historians, during the period of stagnation, the Soviet Union reached the highest point of its development. It was during this period that new cities were built and existing cities were actively developed, space exploration was underway, the military industry was one of the most powerful in the world, many successes were achieved in the cultural and social spheres, and sports. The well-being of Soviet citizens, who looked to tomorrow with confidence, has significantly increased.
In the social sphere, everything was relatively safe, the well-being of citizens was growing. Despite the negative phenomena in the economy and the shortage of consumer goods, many people could buy a good car, high-quality and fairly expensive things and improve their conditions. The rise in the number of people in poverty due to low food prices was not very noticeable. On the whole, the life of the average Soviet citizen was fairly well-off and stable.
Stagnant economy and its consequences
Despite such stability, the economy of the USSR practically stopped its development during the period of stagnation. The global oil boom of the 1970s allowed the leadership of the Soviet Union to profit simply from the sale of oil without developing the economic sphere. The economy itself could not develop, reforms were required, which, due to the onset of stability, no one was involved in. Therefore, many researchers call the period of stagnation “the calm before the storm”.
The halt in economic development had a bad effect on all branches of industry and production, except for the military sector. The absence of reforms hit the national economy hardest of all. The ongoing agrarian reform, known for its student "potato trips", has led to an increase in unemployment among peasants and an increase in the percentage of spoiled during the harvest. The people began to leave the unprofitable state and collective farms for the cities, the food shortage gradually increased in the country. The stagnation in the economy has especially strongly affected the regions traditionally living in agriculture and extractive industries, such as Kazakhstan, Ukraine, etc.
For the entire twenty-year period of stagnation, there have been no changes in the administrative apparatus. After too frequent Khrushchev reshuffles and reforms, Brezhnev decided not to engage in the reorganization of the political structure of the USSR, making all party positions almost lifelong. All spheres of life were controlled by the party, the internal and foreign policy role of the KGB increased significantly, and the political regime was completely conserved.
With the fall in oil prices, all the stagnant phenomena that took place in the economy of the USSR were exposed. During the period of stability, the country's economy turned into a lagging sphere, unable to support the state on its own, which led to the beginning of a difficult era of perestroika.
