Glasnost

What was glasnost?

Glasnost generally means openness in Russian. It was a Soviet policy to allow open discussion of political and social issues with the aim of saving and improving communism.

When was glasnost introduced?

In 1986, Mikhail Gorbachev and his advisers adopted 'glasnost' as a political policy.

Who introduced glasnost?

In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. The two reforms most commonly associated with him are glasnost and perestroika.

What's the importance of glasnost?

Glasnost was important in 4 main ways:

• ❖ It led to a decrease in media censorship.
• ❖ It resulted in writers and journalists exposing government corruption and the depths of poverty in the USSR.
• ❖ This in turn led to increased criticism of the communist government and encouraged democratisation.
• ❖ It helped contribute to the collapse of the USSR and the end of the Cold War.