Glasnost — The Dawn of Freedom?

Abstract

The failure of the Communist economic model brought about in the Soviet Union a crisis of faith in the economic program and the political precepts associated with Leninism. As a result, there have come to the fore, since Gorbachev's accession to power, a group of reformers who, operating within the system, are seeking to create a more open society. The reformers are opposed by hard-line elements whose principal purpose is to maintain their positions of power and privilege. The outcome of the struggle between these two groups is in doubt. The reformist tendencies were not in evidence immediately upon Gorbachev's election to the post of general secretary in February 1985. The first significant indications of change were noted in December 1986. Evidence of profound, systemic changes started to accumulate only as recently as the spring of 1988.