The will to standardize the political life results in the extreme stability of the leading personnel which is set up or confirmed in second half of the years 1960. The permanence of the executives involves the consolidation of a true caste of privileged people, the nomenklatura, which guarantees, by his fidelity with the direction brejnévienne, the stability of the mode. This increased practice of the populism, which consolidates the power and makes take precedence the constraint over the competence, supports a climate of inertia, whose account returns, as from the years 1972-1973, the absence of real economic choices. The benefit of the reform of 1965 on autonomy partial of the companies are cancelled little by little by the parallel increase in economic centralization.

The plea of Kossyguine, president of the Cabinet of 1964 to 1980, for the development of light industry is beaten in breach by Brejnev, which gives again priority with the growth of heavy industry and the complex militaro-industrialist. Ideological continuity and political conservatism appear by the reinforcement of the role of the party on the public life.

Cancelling the forecasts of Khrouchtchev on the advent of Communism, the leaders preach a realistic attitude and promote the new concept of “socialism developed”, supposed to characterize the situation of the USSR. In fact, the era of the “stagnation” - thus the Soviets indicate the eighteen years of being able brejnévien - mark the beginning of an opposition open to the mode. Dissidence, although minority, reveals the ditch growing between the State and the company. The worship reserved for Brejnev, which, as from 1972, cumulates titles and decorations, offers power a ridiculous image which lends to the satire, last arms with a muzzled population.  

Outside, the East-West relaxation continues and culminates in 1975, during the signature of the agreements of Helsinki. But it is again compromised by carried out of the USSR in Africa and the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan which leads, in 1979, with a new hardening of the international relations.  

The “oligarchy of the gérontes” survives during two years after the disappearance of Brejnev, occurred on on November 10th, 1982. The election of Andropov (former chief of the KGB, Committee for the safety of the State) then that of Tchernenko to the general secretary of the party do not make notable political modifications. In truth, the nomination (February 1984) of Tchernenko, whose health is staggering, seems a transitory solution quickly. Behind the often vacant seat of the general secretary Gorbatchev, of which the prerogatives profileis profiled increase before even the disappearance of the last of the gérontes, on on March 10th, 1985.