This is a good article. Click here for more information.

Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brezhnev's funeral
A dead Brezhnev.jpg
Body of Leonid Brezhnev, lying in state at the Pillar (Column) Hall of the House of the Unions
DateNovember 10–15, 1982 (1982-11-10 – 1982-11-15)
LocationMoscow, Soviet Union
BurialKremlin Wall Necropolis
EulogistsYuri Andropov
Dmitry Ustinov
Anatoly Alexandrov
V. V. Pushkarev
Other participantsNikolai Tikhonov
Konstantin Chernenko
Andrei Gromyko
Mikhail Gorbachev
Viktor Grishin
Vitaly Fedorchuk
Lying in statePillar (Column) Hall of the House of the Unions

On 10 November 1982, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, the third General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and the fifth leader of the Soviet Union, died aged 75, a month before his 76th birthday, after suffering a heart attack following years of serious ailments. His death was officially acknowledged on 11 November simultaneously by Soviet radio and television. After five days of national mourning, Brezhnev was given a state funeral and then buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis. Yuri Andropov, Brezhnev's eventual successor as general secretary, was chairman of the committee in charge of managing Brezhnev's funeral, held on 15 November 1982, five days after his death.

The funeral was attended by 32 heads of state, 15 heads of government, 14 foreign ministers and four princes; U.S. President Ronald Reagan sent Vice-president George H. W. Bush. Eulogies were delivered by Yuri Andropov, Dmitry Ustinov, Anatoly Alexandrov, factory worker V. V. Pushkarev, and by a party official from Dneprodzerzhinsk.

Final year in office[]

Staatshoofden, portretten, Bestanddeelnr 925-6564.jpg
This article is part of
a series about
Leonid Brezhnev

First, then General Secretary of the CPSU
1964–1982

Brezhnev Era

Foreign policy

Leonid Brezhnev's signature
Coat of arms of the Soviet Union (1956–1991).svg

Media gallery
  • v
  • t
Brezhnev and Dmitry Ustinov at the 1979 October Revolution Day Parade on Red Square celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the revolution.

Brezhnev's longtime political ally, Mikhail Suslov, died on 25 January 1982, whereupon a series of public events began to illustrate the changes to Brezhnev's health during his final year in office. Brezhnev had struggled with several ailments since 1974, most notably heart disease, leukemia, jaw cancer, emphysema and circulatory disease, all of which had been exacerbated by his heavy smoking, obesity,[1] and dependence on tranquilizers and sleeping medication.[2][3]

At Suslov's funeral on 29 January 1982, Brezhnev "seemed confused" by elements of the ceremony, showing uncertainty over when to salute passing troops. While other Politburo members remained standing, Brezhnev was twice seen to move behind the Lenin Mausoleum's parapet to sit in a chair and drink liquid from a mug.[4] Three weeks later, while attending the funeral of fellow Central Committee member Konstantin Grushevoi, Brezhnev was seen weeping profusely whilst offering sympathies to Grushevoi's widow–a scene which was broadcast uncensored–the first time Brezhnev being shown overcome with emotion on Soviet television.[5]

On 6 March while at the airport to meet visiting Polish leader Wojciech Jaruzelski, Brezhnev's gait was shuffled and he appeared to be laboring for breath.[6] Four days later on 10 March Brezhnev met with President Mauno Koivisto of Finland.[7] At those meetings, as well as two days later while at an International Women's Day gala at the Bolshoi Theatre, Brezhnev's health had noticeably improved. Brezhnev's visit to the Bolshoi was his fourth public appearance in five days.[6]

On 21 March 1982 Brezhnev began a visit to Soviet Central Asia which included a particularly rigorous schedule of "medal-giving ceremonies, speeches, and visits to industrial and agricultural enterprises".[8][9] On the 22nd of March while touring a factory in Tashkent with Uzbek Communist Party First Secretary Sharaf Rashidov, Brezhnev was nearly injured when balustrade scaffolding erected for his visit suddenly collapsed.[10] This incident was followed by a stroke which Brezhnev suffered during his return flight from Tashkent to Moscow.[11][12][13] While the Tashkent newspaper Pravda Vostoka printed photographs on 25 March of Brezhnev waving to the crowds assembled for his departure, there was no film or photographs of Brezhnev's arrival in Moscow after the 4,345-kilometre (2,700 mi) flight, leading to speculation that a medical situation had occurred en route.[8] Brezhnev was reportedly taken from the plane by stretcher to a clinic on Granovsky Street, located across from the Kremlin, where he remained unconscious in a coma in critical condition for several days.[11] At that time the Soviet government did not publicize this, instead claiming that Brezhnev was on a "routine winter vacation".[14] Brezhnev was not seen in public again until four weeks later on 22 April 1982, when he appeared on stage at the Palace of Congresses during celebrations marking the 112th anniversary of Lenin's birth.[15][12]

Brezhnev next attended the annual May Day festivities on 1 May 1982 standing on the balcony of the Lenin Mausoleum for the entire 90-minute parade, albeit displaying a demeanor which "confirmed earlier impressions of a man, for whom, public occasions were a strain."[16]

On 23 May 1982, Brezhnev spoke at the Kremlin for 30 minutes in a slurred speech where he expressed approval of President Reagan's offer of new strategic arms negotiations.[17] Reagan had offered on 6 April 1982 plans to address a United Nations disarmament conference in New York in June and had urged Brezhnev to do the same, saying "I think it would be well if he and I had a talk", setting up an opportunity for the two leaders to meet.[18]

On 25 May Brezhnev held meetings with Austrian President Rudolf Kirchschläger. The following day it was announced that Andropov had stepped down as head of the KGB, two days after being appointed to a top position in the Communist Party Secretariat. Western analysts speculated that the move to the Secretariat strengthened Andropov's position amongst possible successors to Brezhnev, although also noting that there had been "no tangible sign of any diminution" in Brezhnev's control nor "any setback to the standing of Konstantin Chernenko," a fellow member of the Secretariat who, "by dint of his close association with Brezhnev," was "certain to figure in any succession struggle."[19]

In July, Brezhnev left Moscow for his usual summer vacation at a Black Sea retreat in the Crimean peninsula, where in August he was visited by Polish leader Jaruzelski, who updated Brezhnev with a "sobering account of continuing resistance" to martial law in Poland.[20]

September 1982 saw speculation from Soviet government sources on the topic of Brezhnev's retirement, when those sources suggested that Brezhnev might leave office with extraordinary honors, possibly in December 1982, about the time of celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the formal establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922. Western experts said that the reports of the impending resignation were possibly part of a campaign by Politburo members to either try to push Brezhnev out of office or to undercut the chances of Chernenko in any succession.[21]

Despite suggestions of retirement, the month of September 1982 saw Brezhnev continuing to work. On 14 September, Brezhnev reaffirmed support for the Palestine Liberation Organization.[22] Remarks given on 16 September at a dinner for the visiting president of South Yemen, Ali Nasser Mohammed, signaled Brezhnev's desire to allow the Soviet Union a greater role in any new Middle East peace process.[23] On 21 September Brezhnev met with Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi in Moscow.[24] Although the prime minister spoke with Brezhnev regarding India's concern over increasing influence on Pakistan from the USA and China,[25] she reportedly avoided other difficult discussions during their meetings, owing to Brezhnev's "shaky grasp of issues".[26]

The last week of September saw Brezhnev returning to Soviet Central Asia for the first time since his stroke in March 1982, with a visit to Baku, where he expressed a desire to strengthen Sino-Soviet relations in a speech given before the local Soviet leadership of Azerbaijan.[27] Brezhnev's speech in Baku was also notable for an unusual moment of "levity and confusion" when it became apparent that Brezhnev had begun reading from the wrong speech. After being given the correct papers to read from, Brezhnev remarked that the mistake–while not his fault–would be fixed by him starting the speech again "from the beginning".[28][15]

On 7 November 1982, three days before he died, Brezhnev marked the 65th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution by attending the annual military parade through Red Square. Wearing tinted spectacles to guard against the sunlight and showing little animation, Brezhnev stood on the balcony of the Lenin Mausoleum along with other members of the Politburo for two hours in subfreezing temperatures as military regiments of troops and armored vehicles filed past. In a speech at the Kremlin after the parade, Brezhnev remarked upon the Soviet Union's "essence of our policy" as "peaceableness" and spoke of the "sincere striving for equitable and fruitful cooperation with all who want such cooperation. Our profound belief is that exactly such a way will lead mankind to peace for the living and would-be generations."[29]

Death and declaration[]

Brezhnev died on 10 November 1982 after suffering a heart attack.[30][31] The first hint of his death to the Soviet people came that evening at 19:15 Moscow Time, when a television program in honor of the "Day of the Militia Men" was replaced by a documentary on Vladimir Lenin.[32] On Vremya, the Soviet Union's state television newscast, the hosts wore somber clothes instead of their normally informal dress code. At first, Soviet citizens believed it was Andrei Kirilenko who had died,[33] as he had not been present at the 65th anniversary of the October Revolution a few days earlier (he died in 1990). Other abrupt changes to the television line-up occurred, such as the appearance of an unscheduled program of war reminiscences and the replacement of an ice hockey game on Channel Two with Tchaikovsky's Pathétique symphony. Speculation that Brezhnev had died began when he failed to sign a message of greetings published in Tass to José Eduardo dos Santos, the president of Angola, on the occasion of Angola's Independence Day. In previous years the message had been signed by Brezhnev, but on this occasion it was signed in the name of the Central Committee.[34]

The subsequent twenty-four hour delay in declaring the death of Brezhnev was later seen by some as proof of an ongoing power struggle in the Soviet leadership over who would succeed him. Alternately, Yuri Andropov and Konstantin Chernenko were both seen as likely candidates to succeed Brezhnev.[35]

Brezhnev's death was finally announced on the 11th of November simultaneously by Soviet radio and television hosts.[33] The television announcement was read by Igor Kirillov with tears in his eyes at 11:00 Moscow Time.[36] When that announcement was made, it was also mentioned that Yuri Andropov had been elected chairman of the committee in charge of managing Brezhnev's funeral. His selection to that position was seen by First World commentators as confirmation that Andropov had overtaken Chernenko as the most likely candidate for the position of general secretary.[37] Andropov was eventually elected on 12 November 1982 to be the new general secretary at a plenum of the CPSU Central Committee.[38]

Funeral service[]

Brezhnev's tomb in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis

The Taman and Kantemir Guard divisions of the Moscow militsiya sealed off downtown Moscow on 12 November.[39][31] Large avenues were tightly guarded by the police and the Moscow military garrison. The soldiers, who stood in front of the House of the Unions, wore black-edged red armbands. The House of the Unions was decorated by numerous red flags and other communist symbols.[33] Brezhnev's body lay in state for three days at the House of the Unions. During the lying in state, Soviet government officials, citizens, and various foreign dignitaries came to pay their respects and to lay wreaths at the foot of Brezhnev's bier. Andropov and other members of the Politburo also paid their respects to Brezhnev's family, including his wife Viktoria Brezhneva and daughter Galina Brezhneva, who were seated within a reception area adjacent to Brezhnev's bier.[40]

After lying in state for three days, Brezhnev's coffin was placed on an artillery carriage on the 15th of November and towed by an olive-green BRDM-2 armored vehicle of the Red Army in a funeral procession to Lenin's Mausoleum on Red Square. The procession included Brezhnev's family, followed by dozens of wreaths and Brezhnev's military and civilian decorations carried by Soviet colonels and other military officers.[41][42] During funerals of Soviet leaders, the deceased's decorations are carried on velvet cushions in a procession behind the coffin. This task is traditionally given to an escort of senior officers, each carrying a cushion with one decoration on it. However, as Brezhnev had more than two hundred decorations, several had to be placed on each cushion.[43] Brezhnev's funeral officer escort ultimately comprised forty-four persons.[44]

Once the procession arrived at Red Square, eulogies were given from the Lenin Mausoleum's balcony by Andropov, Minister of Defence Dmitry Ustinov, and by three representatives of the 'people': President of the Academy of Sciences Anatoly Alexandrov; factory worker V. V. Pushkarev; and by a Party official from Dneprodzerzhinsk, the city where Brezhnev began his party work.[45] Andropov in his eulogy praised Brezhnev for his détente policy and his "struggle for the relaxation of international tensions and for delivering mankind from the threat of nuclear war."[46]

After the eulogies, pallbearers led by Andropov and Chairman of the Council of Ministers Nikolai Tikhonov carried the coffin to a location between Lenin's Mausoleum and the Kremlin wall as a military orchestra played the third movement of Chopin's Sonata No. 2. At the Kremlin wall, Brezhnev's family made their farewells, with Viktoria and Galina kissing Brezhnev on the face in accordance with Russian Orthodox traditions.[47] As Brezhnev's body was lowered into the grave, tugboats on the Moscow River sounded their sirens. The location of Brezhnev's grave placed him to the left of Yakov Sverdlov, an aide to Lenin, and to the right of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the secret police.[41]

The conclusion of the funeral featured a military parade with sailors in black uniforms, infantry troops in brown, border units in dark green and airmen in blue uniforms marching ten abreast through Red Square.[47]

Brezhnev's body reportedly sustained two falls before it was buried. The first occurred on 12 November when Brezhnev's body fell through the bottom of the coffin as it was being lifted into place on its bier at the lying in state in the House of the Unions. After that incident, a new, metal-plated coffin was made, and as it was being lowered into the grave on the 15th of November, the funeral servants could not handle its weight, and the coffin fell with a loud crash into the grave's hole.[48]

Foreign dignitaries[]

The foreign dignitaries who attended Brezhnev's funeral:[49]


Secretary of State George Shultz and National Security Advisor William Clark both tried to persuade US President Ronald Reagan to attend the funeral.[34] Reagan ultimately chose not to go, with administration officials giving the reason that Soviet and American leaders had never made such gestures of attendance in the past, along with concern over Reagan's attendance possibly being seen as "hypocritical grandstanding" in light of his prior criticisms of the Soviets.[34] Reagan himself stated in a news conference that his decision not to attend was also influenced by a conflict in schedules.[51]

In his place Reagan sent a delegation headed by Vice-president Bush, who happened to be overseas in Africa conducting state visits of Senegal and Nigeria at the time.[52][53] After diverting to Moscow for the funeral and a short introductory meeting with Andropov, Bush resumed his tour of Africa with a state visit to Zimbabwe.[54]

Condolences[]

The morning of Saturday, 13 November saw President Reagan visiting the Soviet embassy in Washington, D.C. to sign a short message in the embassy's condolence book.[55] As it was his first visit to the embassy, he was given a brief tour by the Soviet ambassador, Anatoly Dobrynin.[56] Reagan also issued a more detailed statement on Brezhnev's death, where he called Brezhnev "one of the world's most important figures for nearly two decades" and expressed hopes for the improvement of Soviet-US relations.[34]

President Assad of Syria declared seven days of mourning when Brezhnev's death was announced.[39]

Pope John Paul II promised "a particular thought for the memory of the illustrious departed one", while former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt said Brezhnev's death would "be painfully felt". The government of the People's Republic of China expressed "deep condolences" and Indira Gandhi, the prime minister of India, said "he [Brezhnev] stood by us in our moment of need".[33]

References[]

  1. ^ Blake, Patricia (22 November 1982). "The Soviets: A Mix of Caution and Opportunism". Time. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Chazov (2016), pp. 126, 129, 131–132; Raleigh (2016), p. 848; Schattenberg (2015), p. 857; Mitrokhin & Polowy (2009), p. 884; Korobov (2002), pp. 71–76.
  3. ^ Sukhodrev, Viktor M. (2008). Язык мой-друг мой: от Хрущева до Горбачева (My Language is My Friend: From Khrushchev to Gorbachev) (in Russian). Moscow: Тончу. ISBN 978-5-91215-010-4. OCLC 244952560.
  4. ^ Burns, John F. (22 February 1982). "Kremlin's Next Occupant: Guessing Game Revives". The New York Times. 131 (45232). p. A2. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021.
  5. ^ Doder (1988), p. 74.
  6. ^ a b Burns, John F. (6 March 1982). "After Suslov's Death, A String of Soviet Surprises". The New York Times. 131 (45244).
  7. ^ "Finn Ends Moscow Visit". The New York Times. 131 (45249). 11 March 1982. p. A7.
  8. ^ a b Burns, John F. (4 April 1982). "Soviet Leaders Clinic Remains Under Close Guard". The New York Times. 131 (45273).
  9. ^ "Brezhnev Said to Leave Clinic in Moscow". The New York Times. 131 (45274). 5 April 1982.
  10. ^ Schattenberg (2022), p. 346; Medvedev (2010), pp. 95–96; Doder (1988), p. 64; Solovyov & Klepikova (1986), p. 4.
  11. ^ a b Medvedev (1983), p. 9.
  12. ^ a b Schmemann, Serge (23 April 1982). "Brezhnev At Rally, Scotching 4 Weeks of Mystery and Rumor". The New York Times. 131 (45292).
  13. ^ Doder, Dusko (2 April 1982). "Brezhnev Reported to Be Seriously Ill". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021.
  14. ^ Schmemann, Serge (6 April 1982). "Soviet Foreign Ministry Now Says Brezhnev is on a Winter Vacation". The New York Times. 131 (45275).
  15. ^ a b Medvedev (1983), p. 10.
  16. ^ Burns, John F. (2 May 1982). "A Frail Brezhnev at May Day Parade". The New York Times. 131 (45301).
  17. ^ "Brezhnev Replies On Nuclear Arms". The New York Times. 131 (45322). 23 May 1982.
  18. ^ Smith, Hedrick (6 April 1982). "Reagan Proposes Brezhnev Join Him at the U.N. in June". The New York Times. 131 (45275).
  19. ^ Schmemann, Serge (27 May 1982). "KGB Chief Quits for Higher Duties". The New York Times. 131 (45326).
  20. ^ "Polish Leader Visits Brezhnev in Crimea". The New York Times. 131 (45408). 17 August 1982.
  21. ^ "Soviet Officials Hint Brezhnev May Retire". The New York Times. 131 (45427). 5 September 1982.
  22. ^ "Support for the P.L.O. Affirmed by Brezhnev". The New York Times. 131 (45437). 15 September 1982.
  23. ^ "Soviet Offers a 6-Point Plan for Peace in the Middle East". The New York Times. 131 (45438). 16 September 1982.
  24. ^ "Mrs. Gandhi Finishes Talks with Brezhnev". The New York Times. 132 (45444). 22 September 1982.
  25. ^ Bernd Schaefer (translator). "Information about the Visit of Indira Gandhi to the USSR" (30 September 1982) [Memorandum of Conversation]. Cold War International History Project, File: SAPMO-BArch, DY 30, No. 13941, TsK-Abteilung Internationale Beziehungen der Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands (German Federal Archives). Wilson Center.
  26. ^ Doder (1988), p. 97.
  27. ^ Schmemann, Serge (27 September 1982). "Brezhnev Stresses Issue of China Ties". The New York Times. 132 (45449).
  28. ^ Doder (1988), pp. 96–97.
  29. ^ Burns, John F. (8 November 1982). "Brezhnev Renews Call for Detente But Warns West". The New York Times. 132 (45491). Archived from the original on 8 November 2021.
  30. ^ Service (2009), p. 426.
  31. ^ a b Medvedev (1983), p. 20.
  32. ^ Sell (2016), p. 114.
  33. ^ a b c d Blake, Patricia (22 November 1982). "The Soviets: Changing the Guard". Time. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021.
  34. ^ a b c d Weisman, Steven R. (12 November 1982). "Brezhnev Dead at 75; No Successor Named; Reagan Pledges an Effort to Improve Ties". The New York Times. 132 (45495). p. A12. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021.
  35. ^ "1982: Brezhnev Rumours Sweep Moscow". BBC Online. 10 November 1982. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021.
  36. ^ Schmidt-Häuer (1986), p. 80.
  37. ^ White (2000), p. 211.
  38. ^ Frank (1983), p. 3.
  39. ^ a b Seale (1990), p. 398.
  40. ^ "At Brezhnev's Bier, Grandeur, Gloom and the Lurking Presence of the KGB". The New York Times. 132 (45496). 13 November 1982. p. A4. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021.
  41. ^ a b Burns, John F. (16 November 1982). "Brezhnev Buried Amid Moscow Pomp". The New York Times. 132 (45499). Archived from the original on 24 October 2021.
  42. ^ Blake, Patricia (29 November 1982). "Soviet Union: The Andropov Era Begins". Time. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021.
  43. ^ Bacon & Sandle (2002), pp. 8–9.
  44. ^ Sudakov, Dmitry (7 September 2009). "Most Pompous Funeral Ceremonies of All Times Were Held in Soviet Union". Pravda. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021.
  45. ^ Medvedev (1983), p. 23.
  46. ^ Garthoff (1994), p. 86.
  47. ^ a b Doder (1988), p. 108.
  48. ^ Medvedev (1983), pp. 23–24.
  49. ^ "Leaders of Delegations to Brezhnev's Funeral". The New York Times. 132 (45498). 15 November 1982. Archived from the original on 15 November 2021.
  50. ^ Trudeau, Justin (17 October 2014). "Justin Trudeau's memoir: 'My father was never the same man'". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  51. ^ "Transcript of President Reagan's News Conference on Foreign and Domestic Matters". The New York Times. 132 (45495). 12 November 1982. p. B6. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. And it was just a plain case of looking at schedules, my own schedule calling for visits here by a head of state next week, and it was felt that it would be better for George to head that delegation.
  52. ^ "Bush to Interrupt Tour Of Africa for Funeral". The New York Times. 132 (45496). 13 November 1982. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021.
  53. ^ Schmemann, Serge (15 November 1982). "Bush and Shultz Voice Hope of Gain in Ties with Soviet". The New York Times. 132 (45498). Archived from the original on 15 November 2021.
  54. ^ Schmemann, Serge (16 November 1982). "Bush Meets with Andropov in Brief, 'Substantive' Talks". The New York Times. 132 (45499). Archived from the original on 16 November 2021.
  55. ^ "Reagan Visits the Soviet Embassy". The New York Times. 132 (45497). 14 November 1982. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021.
  56. ^ Dobrynin (1995), pp. 511–512.

Bibliography[]

External links[]

Retrieved from ""