Abstract
During 1989 and 1990 the triumphal progress of Gorbachev’s drive for openness (glasnost’) continued. By 1989, major organs of the press had effectively escaped from central control. The number and range of forbidden topics rapidly declined. Then in March 1990 the USSR Congress of People’s Deputies removed the clause of the Soviet constitution which proclaimed the ‘leading role’ of the Communist Party, thus effectively legalising the existence of other political parties. On 1 August 1990, glasnost’ reached its climax with the abolition, subject to certain reservations, of the censorship system introduced in 1922, which involved preliminary censorship of the press and all other means of communication.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
For this controversy see R. W. Davies (ed.), From Tsarism to the New Economic Policy (1990), where both views are represented.
Cited by G. L. Smirnov (Director of the Institute of Marxism—Leninism), Pravda, 1 February 1990.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1997 R. W. Davies
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Davies, R.W. (1997). The Onslaught on Leninism: From the Central Committee Plenum of September 1988 to the XXVIII Party Congress, July 1990. In: Soviet History in the Yeltsin Era. Studies in Russian and East European History and Society. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-25420-0_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-25420-0_1
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-65593-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-25420-0
eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)