Soviet statesman who served as premier from 1964 to 1980 and was part of the leadership that replaced Khrushchev, but whose push for economic reform limited his rise.

• A. Nikita Khrushchev
• B. Aleksei Kosygin
• C. Leonid Brezhnev
• D. Mikhail Gorbachev

Answer: (B)

The statement points to Aleksei Kosygin. After Khrushchev was removed in 1964, Kosygin became Premier and was part of the leadership alongside Brezhnev that took over. He is known for proposing mid-1960s economic reforms intended to inject more efficiency into the planned system by decentralizing some decision-making and introducing profit-based incentives for managers. These reforms reflected a genuine attempt to improve performance without abandoning central planning, but they faced strong resistance from party officials who favored tight central control. That push for reform was rolled back in practice, and the system remained largely centralized, limiting Kosygin’s ability to push through deeper changes or rise further in the leadership. As a result, he fits the description of the premier who pursued reform but whose efforts didn’t produce lasting change.