Russian Lustrum: Difference between revisions

In 1973, Yevgeny Petrov, a key member of the Committee of National Affairs (CNA), orchestrated the arrest of Kiselev and other officials, known as the ''Great Bureaucratic Cleansing''. This event was a thinly-veiled coup, allowing the CNA to take control of the government and run the country according to their own interests.

 

To gain public support and give off the facade of a functioning and inclusive government, Petrov suggested inducting several members of the opposition into the CNA in 1974, including the popular opposition leader Sergey Gromov. However, Petrov underestimated Gromov's political acumen and ability to influence other members of the CNA. He promoted for government reforms that were wildly popular among the Russian public and even among members in the Russian National Republican Party.

 

At the height of his popularity in 1975, an unsuccessful assassination plot was carried out against Gromov, resulting in rumors implicating Yevgeny Petrov. Although no conclusive evidence was presented to prove his involvement, the suspicion of Petrov's complicity in the scheme became widely known. The failed assassination attempt ultimately proved to be counterproductive, as it not only failed to eliminate Gromov as a political threat but also contributed to an increase in his popularity, while simultaneously causing significant damage to Petrov's reputation.

 

Under mounting pressure from both the public and several members of the CNA who sided with Gromov, Petrov and his allies reluctantly agreed to hold free elections, in the hopes of maintaining some influence in the new political landscape. When the elections were held in 1978, Gromov's faction won a majority in the National Congress, effectively putting him in control of the government and completing the unexpected shift in power.