Editing Konstantin Chernenko (section)

== Leader of the Soviet Union ==
[[Yuri Andropov]] died on 9 February 1984 at age 69 in [[Moscow Central Clinical Hospital]] of [[Kidney Failure|kidney failure]]. Chernenko was then elected to replace Andropov even though the latter stated he wanted [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] to succeed him. Chernenko was also terminally ill himself.<ref name="term ill">{{cite news |last1=de Lama |first1=George |title=CHERNENKO TERMINALLY ILL: U.S. |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-02-16-8501090757-story.html |access-date=2 November 2021 |publisher=Chicago Tribune |date=16 February 1985 |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328012555/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-02-16-8501090757-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the time of his ascent to the country's top post, Chernenko was primarily viewed as a transitional leader who could give the Politburo's "Old Guard" time to choose an acceptable candidate from the next generation of Soviet leadership. In the interim, he was forced to govern the country as part of a [[triumvirate]] alongside [[Minister of Defence (Soviet Union)|Defense Minister]] [[Dmitriy Ustinov]] and [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union)|Foreign Minister]] [[Andrei Gromyko]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/12/world/succession-moscow-siberian-peasant-who-won-power-konstantin-chernenko-brezhnev.html |title=Succession In Moscow: Siberian Peasant Who Won Power; Konstantin Chernenko, A Brezhnev Protege, Led Brief Regime |last=Saxon |first=Wolfgang |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 12, 1985 |access-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-date=29 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929034053/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/12/world/succession-moscow-siberian-peasant-who-won-power-konstantin-chernenko-brezhnev.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This became a growing problem as Chernenko's illness led him to miss meetings with increasing frequency. At Andropov's funeral, he could barely read the [[eulogy]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Briton Thinks Chernenko Is Ill |author=Washington Post Foreign Service |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828104710/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/02/16/briton-thinks-chernenko-is-ill-washington-post-foreign-service/4a359dd9-8084-45a6-97c6-34f3fac7819f/ |archive-date=2017-08-28 |url-status=live |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/02/16/briton-thinks-chernenko-is-ill-washington-post-foreign-service/4a359dd9-8084-45a6-97c6-34f3fac7819f/ |access-date=January 28, 2024}}</ref> As a result of Chernenko's weak hold on power, Foreign Minister [[Andrei Gromyko|Gromyko]] and Defense Minister [[Dmitry Ustinov|Ustinov]] held enormous influence over Soviet policy throughout his leadership.

Chernenko represented a return to the policies of the late Brezhnev era. Nevertheless, he supported a greater role for [[trade unions in the Soviet Union|the labour unions]], and reform in [[education in the Soviet Union|education]] and [[propaganda in the Soviet Union|propaganda]]. The one major personnel change Chernenko made was the dismissal of the [[Chief of the General Staff (Russia)|Chief of the General Staff]], [[Marshal of the Soviet Union|Marshal]] [[Nikolai Ogarkov]]. Ogarkov was subsequently replaced by Marshal [[Sergey Akhromeyev]].

In [[foreign relations of the Soviet Union|foreign policy]], he negotiated a [[trade agreement|trade deal]] with [[China]]. Despite calls for renewed [[détente]], Chernenko did little to prevent the escalation of the [[Cold War]] with the United States. For example, in 1984 the Soviet Union prevented a visit to [[West Germany]] by [[East Germany|East German]] leader [[Erich Honecker]]. However, in late autumn of 1984, the U.S. and the Soviet Union did agree to resume arms control talks in early 1985. In November 1984 Chernenko met with Britain's [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] leader, [[Neil Kinnock]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/12/world/succession-moscow-private-life-medical-case-briton-optimistic-gorbachev-views.html|title=SUCCESSION IN MOSCOW: A PRIVATE LIFE, AND A MEDICAL CASE; Briton Is Optimistic on Gorbachev Views|date=1985|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2018-06-05|language=en|archive-date=28 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928093845/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/12/world/succession-moscow-private-life-medical-case-briton-optimistic-gorbachev-views.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1980 the United States led an [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|international boycott]] of the [[1980 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics held in Moscow]] in protest at the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]]. The following [[1984 Summer Olympics]] were due to be held in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]]. On 8 May 1984, under Chernenko's leadership, the USSR announced its intention [[1984 Summer Olympics boycott|not to participate in the Games]], claiming "security concerns and [[Chauvinism|chauvinistic]] sentiments and an [[Anti-Sovietism|anti-Soviet]] hysteria being whipped up in the United States".<ref name="altman"/> The boycott was joined by 14 [[Eastern Bloc]] [[Satellite state|satellites]] and allies, including [[Cuba]] (but not [[Romania at the 1984 Summer Olympics|Romania]]). The action was widely seen as revenge for the U.S.-led boycott of the Moscow Games. The boycotting countries organised their own "[[Friendship Games]]" in the summer of 1984.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2014.958669 |title=The Russians Are ''Not'' Coming! The Soviet Withdrawal from the Games of the XXIII Olympiad |first=Robert Simon |last=Edelman |journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport |volume=32 |issue=1 |year=2015 |pages=9–36 |publisher=[[Taylor and Francis]] |doi=10.1080/09523367.2014.958669 |access-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-date=28 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128141719/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2014.958669 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Before his death, Chernenko signed preliminary documents stating that on 9 May 1985, on the day of the 40th Victory Day Parade, the city of [[Volgograd]] would be renamed to Stalingrad. In his letter to [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]'s daughter [[Svetlana Alliluyeva]], he wrote about "the upcoming restoration of justice in relation to the memory and heritage of I.V. Stalin", which presumably referred to Stalin's political rehabilitation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 July 2020 |title=Реабилитация Сталина и другие вещи, которые хотел слелать Черненко {{!}} Русская Семёрка |url=https://dzen.ru/media/russian7/reabilitaciia-stalina-i-drugie-vesci-kotorye-hotel-slelat-chernenko-5f16ffd4e8879317a8091a37 |access-date=21 October 2022 |archive-date=28 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928192444/https://dzen.ru/media/russian7/reabilitaciia-stalina-i-drugie-vesci-kotorye-hotel-slelat-chernenko-5f16ffd4e8879317a8091a37 |url-status=live }}</ref>