Here is Leonid Brezhnev's biography:
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born on December 19, 1906, in Kamenskoe, Russian Empire (now Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukraine). He studied at Dnepropetrovsk Industrial College and joined the Communist Party youth union (Komsomol) in 1923. Brezhnev became a full member of the Communist Party in 1931 and was a loyal Stalinist during the purges of the "Great Terror".
During World War II, Brezhnev served as Political Commissar to the Transcaucasian Front and the 1st Ukrainian Front. After the war, he was promoted to Chief Political Commissar of the 4th Ukrainian Front and became a Major General.
In 1950, Brezhnev was promoted to 1st Communist Party Secretary of Moldavia and later became a candidate member of the Politburo. In 1953, he was made Chief of Political Directorate of the Army and the Navy (GPU) and in 1955, he became 1st Communist Party Secretary of Kazakhstan.
In 1956, Nikita Khrushchev denounced the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin, and Brezhnev backed Khrushchev in a power struggle against other communist leaders. In 1959, Brezhnev was promoted to Second Secretary of the Central Committee and in May 1960, he became President of the Supreme Soviet, the nominal head of the Soviet Union.
Brezhnev's personal life was marked by infidelity and excessive drinking. His daughter, Galina, was known for her wild behavior and was involved in a scandalous affair with an actor.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Soviet Union was undergoing liberalization, but Brezhnev used Khrushchev's mistakes to gain support for himself and plotted a coup against Khrushchev in 1964. Khrushchev was forced into retirement, and Brezhnev became the General Secretary of the Communist Party.
As General Secretary, Brezhnev reversed liberalization and enforced censorship and total control over information, cultural life, and education. He also reversed agricultural reforms and restored the Soviet economy to a planned economy.
Brezhnev's regime was marked by corruption, inefficiency, and stagnation. He was known for his excessive use of decorations and awards, and his personal vanity and behavior were replicated at all levels of the Communist Party.
In the 1970s, Brezhnev's health declined dramatically, and he became increasingly dependent on alcohol and drugs. He died of a heart attack on November 10, 1982, and was buried by the Kremlin Wall. He was succeeded by Yuri Andropov, who died just 16 months later, and then by Konstantin Chernenko, who died just 13 months later.
