S9.com / Biographies /
Brezhnev, Leonid Ilyich (Leonid)
1906 - Brezhnev was born in Kamenskoe (now Dniprodzerzhyns'k) in Ukraine, to Illya Yakovych on the 19th of December.
- He graduated from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Technicum and became an engineer in the iron and steel industries of eastern Ukraine.
1923-1931 - He joined the Communist Party youth organisation, the Komsomol and the Party itself.
1935 - Brezhnev was drafted for obligatory army service, and after taking courses at a tank school, he served as a political commissar in a tank company.
1936 - He became director of the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Technical College.
- He was transferred to the regional centre of Dnepropetrovsk
1939 - He became Party Secretary in Dnepropetrovsk, in charge of the city's important defense industries.
1943 - In April, he became head of the Political Department of the 18th Army.
1946 - In August, Brezhnev left the Red Army with the rank of Major General.
1950 - He became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet the Soviet Union's highest legislative body.
1952 - He became a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee and was introduced as a candidate member into the Presidium (formerly the Politburo).
1956 - In February, Brezhnev was recalled to Moscow, promoted to candidate member of the Politburo and assigned control of the defense industry, the space program, heavy industry, and capital construction.
1959 - Brezhnev became Second Secretary of the Central Committee.
1960 - In May, he was promoted to the post of President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, making him nominal head of state.
1966 - In April, he took the title General Secretary, which had been Stalin's title.
1976 - In May, he made himself a Marshal of the Soviet Union, the first "political Marshal" since the Stalin era.
1977 - In June, he forced the retirement of Podgorny and became once again Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, making this position equivalent to that of an executive president.
1982 - He had developed narcotic dependence on sleeping pill nembutal and died of a heart attack on the 10th of November.
- He graduated from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Technicum and became an engineer in the iron and steel industries of eastern Ukraine.
1923-1931 - He joined the Communist Party youth organisation, the Komsomol and the Party itself.
1935 - Brezhnev was drafted for obligatory army service, and after taking courses at a tank school, he served as a political commissar in a tank company.
1936 - He became director of the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Technical College.
- He was transferred to the regional centre of Dnepropetrovsk
1939 - He became Party Secretary in Dnepropetrovsk, in charge of the city's important defense industries.
1943 - In April, he became head of the Political Department of the 18th Army.
1946 - In August, Brezhnev left the Red Army with the rank of Major General.
1950 - He became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet the Soviet Union's highest legislative body.
1952 - He became a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee and was introduced as a candidate member into the Presidium (formerly the Politburo).
1956 - In February, Brezhnev was recalled to Moscow, promoted to candidate member of the Politburo and assigned control of the defense industry, the space program, heavy industry, and capital construction.
1959 - Brezhnev became Second Secretary of the Central Committee.
1960 - In May, he was promoted to the post of President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, making him nominal head of state.
1966 - In April, he took the title General Secretary, which had been Stalin's title.
1976 - In May, he made himself a Marshal of the Soviet Union, the first "political Marshal" since the Stalin era.
1977 - In June, he forced the retirement of Podgorny and became once again Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, making this position equivalent to that of an executive president.
1982 - He had developed narcotic dependence on sleeping pill nembutal and died of a heart attack on the 10th of November.
  | Page last updated: 6:36pm, 27 |
