Pressures for change and the reaction of the regime: political dissidents and protest, including Andrei Sakharov and Alexander Solzhenitsyn; the effect of the Helsinki accords; nationalist unrest; new leaders and political developments: Andropov; limited political and economic reform; Chernenko as leader and stagnation; the reformers and position of Gorbachev
During the late Brezhnev era, brave individuals and whole nationalities pushed back against Soviet rule. A series of short-lived leaders then struggled to respond, setting the stage for Gorbachev.
Real World
When Andrei Sakharov was exiled to the closed city of Gorky in 1980, Western governments and the international press amplified his case worldwide — demonstrating that Helsinki's human rights clauses had given dissidents a recognised legal standard the Kremlin could no longer simply ignore.
Exam Focus
When writing about dissidents, name specific individuals and link their significance to a broader pressure — political, international, or ideological — to show analytical depth.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
How well did you know this?