Konstantin Chernenko served just before Mikhail Gorbachev of the President of the USSR from 1984-1985. Although they served during a similar time period, there governing styles and popularity in the press were much different. It is believed that Gorbachev was supposed to become President instead of Chernenko. When Chernenko died in 1985, the next day’s newspapers gave more coverage to Gorbachev regarding his succession to President than Chernenko’s death and legacy itself. Unlike, Gorbachev who strengthened relations with western European countries and the United States, Chernenko did not. Instead, he made relations worse by doing very little to prevent the escalation of the Cold War. Chernenko also had a great opportunity to greatly strengthen ties with China but did not, although he did negotiate a trade pact. Chernenko also caused foreign relations problems when he decided to boycott the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. By doing this, 14 other eastern bloc countries also boycotted the games. This caused major problems for Olympic organizers as well as for the Soviet Union’s relationship with the western world. Gorbachev claims to have boycotted the games because of security reasons but it is widely believed that he decided to boycott because the US boycotted the 1980 summer games in Moscow. Overall, Chernenko and Gorbachev are two very different leaders with much different legacies. During his little time in office, Chernenko was known for doing very little and when he did do something it usually caused strained relationships with other countries. Gorbachev on the other hand is known for his forward thinking economic policies and his excellent foreign relations with other world powers.
Source: www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/COLDchernenko.htm
