On October 14, 1964, Leonid Brezhnev became the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union after a plenum of the Central Committee removed Nikita Khrushchev. The change ended more than a decade of rule marked by de-Stalinization, reforms, and acute internal party conflicts.
The change was not immediately announced publicly. The announcement was made two days later, on October 16, with Khrushchev's resignation officially presented as a decision made due to advanced age and poor health. Brezhnev was elected First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, and Alexei Kosygin became Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers.
Khrushchev is recalled from vacation
Khrushchev spent the days before his dismissal on vacation by the Black Sea. While talking on the phone with the three Soviet cosmonauts from the Voskhod mission, he was summoned back to Moscow. According to an account published in Time magazine, Khrushchev said: “Here is Comrade Mikoyan. He is literally pulling the phone out of my hands. I don't think I can stop him.“
The dismissal was the result of mounting discontent among the top party leadership. Criticisms were related to the frequent reorganizations, Khrushchev's interference in the work of the party and government, problems in agriculture and the economy, as well as his one-man style of rule. American diplomatic assessments of the time described the change as the result of accumulated personal and political conflicts, rather than a single decision or event.
Brezhnev takes over the party, not the state post
Historical references often state that on October 14, 1964, Brezhnev became “General Secretary“ and the head of the USSR. However, the exact wording varies. At that time, he was elected First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, and the position of “General Secretary“ was restored in April 1966.
Brezhnev did not become formal head of state until October 14, 1964. He headed the party that controlled the political system while Kosygin took over the government. Later, Nikolai Podgorny took the post of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Thus, the new leadership created a model of collective governance, different from the concentration of party and state posts in the hands of Khrushchev.
Initially, Brezhnev and Kosygin maintained the basic line of "peaceful coexistence" with the West and promised more predictable rule. Gradually, Brezhnev strengthened his position in the party apparatus and became the dominant figure in the Soviet leadership. He remained at the head of the CPSU until his death in November 1982.
Sources: apnews.com, time.com