Leonid Brezhnev was trained as a metallurgist. He was active in the Communist Party and, during World War II, he served as a political officer, rising to the rank of Brigadier General. He rose within the party to become a member of the Politburo. After the ouster of Khrushchev, Brezhnev became the leader of the Soviet Union. Bibliography: Chafetz, Glenn R. Gorbachev, Reform, and the Brezhnev Doctrine: Soviet Policy Toward Eastern Europe. 1993. Praeger Pub. Moore, John Norton. International Law and the Brezhnev Doctrine. 1987. U Pr Amer. Gelman, Harry. The Brezhnev Politburo and the Decline of Detente. 1984. Cornell U. Press. Gelman, Harry. Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev : A Short Biography . 1982. Pergamon Pr. Schwartz, D. V. Resolutions and Discussions of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union: 1982. U Toronto Press. Leonid I Brezhnev: Pages from His Life. 1982. Pergamon Pr. Murphy, Paul J. Brezhnev : Soviet Politician. 1980. McFarland & Co. Brezhnev, Leonid Il. Leonid I. Brezhnev : His Life and Work . 1980. Sphinx Press. Brezhnev, Leonid. Peace, Detente and Soviet-American Relations : Public Speeches by Leonid Brezhnev. 1979. Harcourt Brace. New York : Leonid I. Brezhnev : Pages from His Life . 1978. Simon&Schuster. Dornberg, John. Brezhnev : The Masks of Power . 1974. Basic Books.