Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (1906–1982) is a state and party leader who was at the heights of power in the USSR for almost 20 years, holding the position of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. The period of his reign was defined as a period of “stagnation”.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born on December 19, 1906 (January 1, 1907) in the village of Kamenskoye, Yekaterinoslav province, into a family of hereditary workers.
In 1915 he became a student at the Kamensk classical gymnasium. The training there lasted 6 years. In 1921, Brezhnev received a position at the Kursk oil mill. In 1923 he was accepted into the ranks of the Komsomol members.
A little later he became a student at the Kursk Land Surveying and Reclamation College. In the spring of 1928 he was transferred to the Urals, where he received the position of land surveyor. Until 1930, he replaced the head of the Ural Regional Land Administration.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Brezhnev actively mobilized the population into the Red Army. He also evacuated industry and held non-military positions in the army. Until 1943 he was the head of the political department of the Eighteenth Army. Until 1945, he replaced the head of the southern front political department.
In 1942 he participated in the offensive of the Red Army in the South Kharkov region. The operation was commanded by Malinovsky. For his courage, Brezhnev was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.
In 1942 he received the rank of colonel. A few months later, he took part in the liberation battles for Novorossiysk and was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, first degree.
On November 2, 1944, Brezhnev became a major general.

A personal meeting with Stalin, which took place in 1952, became a striking event in Brezhnev’s biography. At the 19th Congress of the CPSU, Brezhnev was elected a member of the Central Committee for the first time in his life.
In November 1952, he was elected a member of the standing commissions of the Presidium of the Central Committee. In 1953, after Stalin's death, he was relieved of both positions.
During the period 1953–1954. served as deputy chief of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy.
In 1954, he accepted Khrushchev’s offer and was transferred to the Kazakh SSR. There Brezhnev supervised the development of virgin lands.
In 1960–1964 served as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.
In 1961, he took part in the preparation of the first manned space flight. For this he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

In 1966, Brezhnev took the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. A year later, he voiced the concept of “Developed Socialism”.
In 1977, the USSR adopted a new Constitution. The role of the CPSU was recognized as the core of the political system. The idea of “developed socialism” was also consolidated.
After this, Brezhnev assumed a new position - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.
In May, the President of the United States, Nixon, came to Moscow on an official visit. During the bilateral meeting, an agreement was signed on the limitation of missile defense systems.
In November 1974, American President Ford arrived in the USSR. The leaders of the two countries signed a statement confirming their intention to conclude an updated SALT agreement.
In June 1979, Brezhnev and Carter signed an agreement on the limitation of strategic offensive weapons. When Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in 1979, all contacts between the United States and the Soviet Union were curtailed.

Brezhnev passed away at night, from November 9 to 10, 1982. In accordance with the medical report. examination, the cause of death was sudden cardiac arrest.
Brezhnev was buried on November 15, near the Kremlin wall in Moscow. Representatives of 35 states were present at the farewell to the Soviet leader.