What Is Glasnost?

The term “glasnost” has a very general meaning in the Russian language, similar to the English word “publicity” or “openness.” In the former Soviet Union this term was applied to an official policy of the Soviet rulers who were trying to open discussion between their country and other nations.

In the 1980s, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was at the forefront of this movement to open up communication with the rest of the world. He emphasized honesty in discussions about activities both within the country and around the globe. Among the issues addressed by Gorbachev with glasnost and with his overall program of perestroika were internal corruption and the severe restrictions put on citizens. (Perestroika was a wide-ranging program of restructuring the economy and the political system.)

Among the major changes in the country during and after glasnost were: open discussion of the Communist system between members of the government; opening the flow of information about the economy of the country so that citizens would better understand it; criticism of the political and economic structure by media and by citizens; new freedom in the political world, including discussion of the election process.

Many historians credit the early influence of Gorbachev with starting the Soviet Union down the road to dissolution. In fact, less than a decade after the reforms were started, the massive Soviet Union sphere collapsed. This led to the establishment of several new, independent countries. Others write that glasnost was at least partly responsible, though they point out that the country was on its way to economic difficulties (even collapse) without glasnost.

Citizens of the Soviet Union had, for years, lived with a government system that was nearly invisible to the working man or woman. The Soviet leaders held the reins tightly, controlling who would serve in political positions and who would make the decisions that affected the economy of the country.

Among the key reforms was allowing more freedom of speech to citizens and to those at the lower levels of government. Newspaper and television operations were opened up and became part of the widespread public discussion. This open policy revealed numerous examples of economic trouble, financial fraud, as well as poverty conditions and social problems that were not subject to discussion earlier.

It would be safe to say that since Mikhail Gorbachev started the glasnost and perestroika process in 1985, very little remains of the former Soviet Union. He put a lot of pressure on the extremely conservative members of the Politburo (the executive ruling committee of political parties in the former Soviet Union. Gorbachev was interested in getting these often-reactionary men to look at the country’s economic structure in a new way. But for many looking at the changes from the outside, the freedom of thought and freedom of speech that Soviet citizens began to enjoy was as important as any other change.

In addition, political prisoners held for years were released, adding to the sense of freedom that pervaded the population. Though Gorbachev hoped the massive changes would save the union, the effect ultimately was just the opposite.

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