Glasnost: Introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985

Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1985–1991), introduced glasnost ("openness," "transparency") as a core reform policy in 1985–1986, alongside perestroika ("restructuring").

What Glasnost Entailed

• Media freedom: Relaxed censorship; previously banned topics (Stalin crimes, Chernobyl, Afghan war, corruption, nationalism) openly discussed.
• Literary/Artistic freedom: Publication of Solzhenitsyn, Grossman, Akhmatova; avant-garde theater, film.
• Historical reassessment: Official reevaluation of Stalin, purges, Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Katyn massacre.
• Political pluralism (limited): Informal groups, popular fronts, contested elections (1989 Congress of People's Deputies).
• Reduced secrecy: Archives opened; foreign travel eased; jamming of foreign broadcasts stopped.

Motivations

• Mobilize public support for perestroika (economic reform) by exposing systemic failures.
• Combat corruption and stagnation through transparency.
• Modernize USSR to compete with West.

Unintended Consequences

• Unleashed nationalist movements (Baltics, Caucasus, Ukraine).
• Eroded Communist Party legitimacy (history revealed).
• Empowered reformers (Yeltsin) and hardliners (1991 coup plotters).
• Contributed to USSR dissolution (1991).

Legacy

Glasnost was revolutionary in a system built on secrecy. It didn't cause collapse alone—but made it possible by breaking the information monopoly. Gorbachev won Nobel Peace Prize (1990); died 2022.