Glasnost' (Public Openness) in the USSR; Historical, Political and Military Perspectives.

Gorbachevs glasnost public openness policy has generated debate in the Western media and among scholars about the scope and significance of political reform in the Soviet Union. Regardless of their political biases, most Western analysts have based their arguments on limited evidence drawn from official Soviet press reports. This study will examine Gorbachevs policy in a broader historical, conceptual and social context. The paper will briefly outline the origins of glasnost in nineteenth-century Russia, and analyze the Soviet concept of public criticism in the post revolutionary period. A comparison with Gorbachevs current views and a discussion of glasnost as reflected in civilian and military media will help define the scope and limits of openness in Soviet society. The paper will conclude with an analysis of political military implications of the glasnost policy for Western policy makers.