Leonid Brezhnev

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev born in Kamenskoe Yekaterinoslav governorate Russian Empire Soviet statesman politician and party figure who held the highest leadership position in the CPSU for 18 years from 1964 until his death in 1982 First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 19641966 and General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee from 1966 to 1982 Marshal of the Soviet Union 1976 Four times Hero of the Soviet Union 1966 1976 1978 1981 Hero of Socialist Labor 1961 Candidate member of the Presidium of the Central Committee 19521953 19561957 Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU 19521953 19561960 19631964 In 19601964 Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Chairman of the Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPSU for the RSFSR from 1964 to 1966 Deputy of the Council of the Union of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 3rd10th convocations 19501982 Member of the Union of Journalists of the USSR and the Union of Writers of the USSR Cavalier of eight Orders of Lenin Laureate of the International Lenin Prize For Strengthening Peace Among Nations 1973 and the Lenin Prize for Literature 1979 In 1978 he was awarded the Order of Victory in 1989 this award was cancelled by decree signed by the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev as being contrary to the statute of the order In total Brezhnev had 117 Soviet and foreign state awards He participated in the Great Patriotic War and the Victory Parade on Red Square on June 24 1945 political officer of the combined regiment of the 4th Ukrainian Front