Authors

Yuri Levada

Editors

Dmitri N. Shalin

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

First page number:

1

Last page number:

16

Abstract

There has hardly been a stretch in Russian history more saturated with sweeping changes than the period between 1988-1993. Packed into this exceedingly brief historical era are the rise of "perestroika" and the fall of its illustrious leader, Mikhail Gorbachev; the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence in its place of 15 independent states; the August '91 communist putsch and the democrats' triumphant ascension to power; the proliferation of virulent ethnic conflicts and the recognition of the abiding need for cooperation; the bloody October '93 confrontation between the executive and legislative powers and the surprising strength that the nationalist and communist forces showed in the first multi-party Parliamentary elections in post-communist Russia . As people watched their political elites reshuffled and familiar institutions crumble, they could not help feeling alternatively elated, confused, and disillusioned. No sooner hopes for a democratic renewal were raised than they were dashed by the unexpected hardships which made some feel nostalgic for the lost security of the communist system.

Keywords

Communism and culture; History; Perestroĭka; Political stability; Politics and culture; Russia; Social change; Soviet Union

Disciplines

Asian History | Cultural History | European History | History | Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures | Political History | Slavic Languages and Societies | Social History

Language

English


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