increasingly → politburo → made up of ageing politicians.
- cost of having older make up of members → compounded economic burdens → imposed by war in Afghanistan.
- by 1974 → average age of Politburo members → 65 → mandatory retirement age in many occupations
- this was made more apparent → as US leadership → appeared to be relatively younger → with each succession after Eisenhower’s cabinet
Many of soviet leaders → unwell
- when Brezhnev died in 1982 → he was succeeded by Yuri Andropov → who lived only till early 1984.
- ageing soviet leaders → ill equipped to deal with → challenge of the ongoing economic stagnation and rejuvenated US leadership