Brezhnev’s Legacy
Soviet policy in Europe under Gorbachev must be seen against the background of the policy that he inherited from his predecessors, especially Leonid I. Brezhnev’s policy during his latter years was characterized by two principal features. The first was the USSR’s isolation in Western Europe. Brezhnev’s military, proved to be a major strategic blunder and had a negative impact on Soviet relations with Western Europe. Rather than weakening Western cohesion and providing the USSR with important military advantages—as was its apparent intention—the buildup had the opposite effect, strengthening the cohesion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and leading to a counterdeployment of United States missiles on European soil.