e the nation's problems only on a short-term level. In the middle to late 1950's, he began the Virgin Lands campaign, designed to increase grain production. But by the early 1960's, much of the land, which had never been touched before Khrushchev, had become a dust bowl. Another one of his policies was to split the party in two: one part was to deal with agriculture, the other with industry. The two sectors failed to cooperate, causing rifts in the party and minimal improvement to the nation's situation. (Lih) Khrushchev was removed from office as party secretary in October 1964 because of his policy failures. His replacement was Leonid Brezhnev, a compromise candidate for two factions that had been created in Khrushchev's later years. His political ability, however, was much greater than anyone had expected, and opposition to him vanished by the early 1970's. (Lih) Brezhnev had more focused, long-term goals than Khrushchev. He relied on aptitude within each profession and discussion of government policies as guidance for his tenure. This policy relied on patience, which many Soviets did not possess. Economic trends were erratic during Brezhnev's rule, and many lower- and middle-class workers became suspicious if any reform whatsoever was occurring. (Lih) Brezhnev had a foreign policy which was more aggressive than any of his predecessors. A revolt, known as the Prague Spring, began in Czechoslovakia in 1968. Soviet tanks were sent by Brezhnev to crush the revolutionaries. After the threat had subsided, he announced that the U.S.S.R. had the right to intervene in other countries' affairs if socialism was threatened. (Lih) One of Brezhnev's most famous policies was that of detente. His goal was to normalize relations with capitalist countries and increase the Soviet's share in world trade without opening the U.S.S.R.'s society to the outside world enough to risk loss of economic or political control. Despite a num...
