History glossary
Glasnost
Gorbachev's policy of greater openness in Soviet public life and debate.
- Category
- Soviet reform
- Region
- Soviet Union
- Date range
- 1980s
What it means
Glasnost means openness. In the Soviet Union, it allowed more criticism, media freedom, discussion of past crimes, and public debate. It weakened censorship and made it harder for the Communist Party to control political life.
Related terms
Stories using this term
The Soviets
From revolution to superpower, the Soviet Union rose, struggled internally, and collapsed in 1991.
The Collapse of the Soviet Union
From Gorbachev’s reforms to the lowering of the Soviet flag over the Kremlin, this story traces the rapid unravelling of the USSR and the end of the Cold War.
The World After The Cold War
From the fall of the Soviet Union to the rise of China and global terrorism, this story traces the turbulent reshaping of the international order after 1991.
