Glasnost

Glasnost (Russian, often translated as “openness”), a key aspect of the policies introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 to change and revitalize the Soviet system. Generally coupled with the economic and political reforms of perestroika (“restructuring”), glasnost summarized Gorbachev’s efforts to allow and stimulate more open discussion and criticism in political and cultural life. The term had both a symbolic and practical significance. Carrying the meaning of “speaking out” or “giving voice to”, glasnost was evident in the more open debate and discussion that existed in the final years of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Many observers were initially sceptical about this policy. Conservative leaders in the Communist Party opposed glasnost and tried to undermine it. However, particularly after the 27th Party Congress in February 1986, public officials and citizens began to take Gorbachev’s call for more open, critical discussion seriously. Intellectuals in particular made use of the new freedom glasnost offered to criticize the government and to engage in activities that were previously prohibited.

These changes were evident in the cultural realm, where previously banned works were able to be published, and in the scientific and educational world, where Soviet scholars and experts were able to speak more freely and have more contact with their colleagues in the international community. The changes were also evident in discussions of economic performance, where experts openly acknowledged the serious problems of the Soviet economy. Glasnost led to greater openness in the state-controlled media, which was allowed freedom to express opinions that would previously have been condemned, and to the formation of a large number of independent groups. It contributed to the growth of national movements in the Soviet republics, and, ultimately, to the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. It also helped to bring about the collapse of Communist governments in Central and Eastern Europe (see Communism, Collapse of).