Decommunization in Russia
Encyclopedia
Decommunization
in Russia
is the process of dealing with the communist legacies in terms of institutions and personnel that tends towards breaking with the Soviet past. Compared with the efforts of the other former constituents of the Soviet bloc and the Soviet Union
, it has been restricted to half-measures, if conducted at all.
suspended the Communist Party of the Russian SFSR for the time of investigation to the applaud of the people, despite the objections of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
, who insisted that the party as a whole was not to blame for the events. The Communist Party obkoms in the Russian SFSR were closed, the building of the Central Committee of the CPSU
was sealed. On August 24 Gorbachev dissolved the Central Committee of the CPSU and resigned from the position of its Secretary General (but remained President of the Soviet Union
). On August 25 Yeltsin issued another decree nationalizing
the property of the party (including archives and bank accounts) in favor of the Council of Ministers of the Russian SFSR. Within a few weeks after the coup the Soviet Union peacefully broke up. On November 6, 1991, Yeltsin banned the CPSU, which had exercised pervasive control over the Soviet society for years The breakup of the Soviet Union was acknowledged in Belavezha Accords
of December 8, ratified by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR on 12 December. On 26 December 1991, the dissolution of the Soviet Union
was declared. Its largest constituent republic, the Russian SFSR, was renamed to the Russian Federation. It was formally established on 1 January 1992 and became the successor state to the Soviet Union.
Commission for Investigating Causes and Reasons of the coup attempt was established in 1991 under Lev Ponomaryov
(including also Gleb Yakunin
), but in 1992 it was dissolved at Ruslan Khasbulatov
's insistence. Having gained access to secret KGB
archives as a member of the committee, in March 1992 Gleb Yakunin published materials about cooperation of the Moscow Patriarchate with KGB
. He claimed that Patriarch Alexius II
, Mitropolit Filaret of Kiev
, Pitrim of Volokolamsk, and others were recruited by the KGB
.
A large part of the archives of the Communist Party (preserved now in state archives such as Archive of the President of the Russian Federation
, Russian State Archive of Contemporary History, Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History and State Archive of the Russian Federation), including almost all documents of its Central Committee, remains classified.
In 1992 a number of people's deputies sued Yeltsin, requesting examination of his decrees concerning the Communist Party for compliance with the contemporary Constitution
. On November 30, 1992, the Constitutional Court
partially reviewed the decrees and lifted the ban against the Communist Party of the Russian SFSR
was reestablished in February 1993. A number of smaller communist parties claimed to be successors of the CPSU as well.
Unlike in many other countries of the former Soviet bloc, lustration
of senior Communist Party and KGB
officials in Russia was staunchly resisted and has never been implemented. Many of them have remained in power. In fact, most of the modern Russian politicians started their careers in the Soviet Union. A law project on lustration was first proposed to the parliament in December 1992 by Galina Starovoytova, but it has never been passed.
The persons arrested in connection with of the August Coup were released from prison in 1992, and the charges were lifted under amnesty by the State Duma
on February 23, 1994. Vasily Starodubtsev
was the Governor of Tula Oblast
in 1997-2005, Anatoly Lukyanov
was a deputy of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation
in the State Duma in 1993-2003, Valentin Varennikov
has been a deputy in the State Duma
since 1995 (parties: Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Rodina
), the latter two were heads of parliamentary committees.
There has been no deliberate attempt to deal with the Soviet past for Russia as a society.
Decommunization
Decommunization is a process of overcoming the legacies of the communist state establishments, culture, and psychology in the post-Communist states. It is similar to denazification after Nazism fell...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
is the process of dealing with the communist legacies in terms of institutions and personnel that tends towards breaking with the Soviet past. Compared with the efforts of the other former constituents of the Soviet bloc and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, it has been restricted to half-measures, if conducted at all.
August Coup
In the aftermath of the abortive August Coup of 1991, on August 23 President of the Russian SFSR Boris YeltsinBoris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
suspended the Communist Party of the Russian SFSR for the time of investigation to the applaud of the people, despite the objections of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
, who insisted that the party as a whole was not to blame for the events. The Communist Party obkoms in the Russian SFSR were closed, the building of the Central Committee of the CPSU
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , abbreviated in Russian as ЦК, "Tse-ka", earlier was also called as the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party ...
was sealed. On August 24 Gorbachev dissolved the Central Committee of the CPSU and resigned from the position of its Secretary General (but remained President of the Soviet Union
President of the Soviet Union
The President of the Soviet Union , officially called President of the USSR was the Head of State of the USSR from 15 March 1990 to 25 December 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev was the only person to occupy the office. Gorbachev was also General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union between...
). On August 25 Yeltsin issued another decree nationalizing
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
the property of the party (including archives and bank accounts) in favor of the Council of Ministers of the Russian SFSR. Within a few weeks after the coup the Soviet Union peacefully broke up. On November 6, 1991, Yeltsin banned the CPSU, which had exercised pervasive control over the Soviet society for years The breakup of the Soviet Union was acknowledged in Belavezha Accords
Belavezha Accords
The Belavezha Accords is the agreement which declared the Soviet Union effectively dissolved and established the Commonwealth of Independent States in its place...
of December 8, ratified by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR on 12 December. On 26 December 1991, the dissolution of the Soviet Union
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
was declared. Its largest constituent republic, the Russian SFSR, was renamed to the Russian Federation. It was formally established on 1 January 1992 and became the successor state to the Soviet Union.
Coup investigation
The ParliamentarySupreme Soviet of Russia
The Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR , later Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation was the supreme government institution of the Russian SFSR in 1938–1990; in 1990–1993 it was a permanent parliament, elected by the Congress of People's Deputies of the Russian Federation.The Supreme Soviet of...
Commission for Investigating Causes and Reasons of the coup attempt was established in 1991 under Lev Ponomaryov
Lev Ponomaryov
Lev Alexandrovich Ponomaryov is a Russian politician and human rights activist, member of the Moscow Helsinki Group and former member of the parliament...
(including also Gleb Yakunin
Gleb Yakunin
Gleb Pavlovich Yakunin is Russian priest and dissident who fought for the freedom of conscience in the Soviet Union. He was member of Moscow Helsinki Group, and he was elected to Russian Parliaments from 1990 to 1999.-Life:...
), but in 1992 it was dissolved at Ruslan Khasbulatov
Ruslan Khasbulatov
Ruslan Imranovich Khasbulatov is a Russian economist and politician of Chechen descent who played a central role in the events leading to the 1993 constitutional crisis in the Russian Federation.-Early life:...
's insistence. Having gained access to secret KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
archives as a member of the committee, in March 1992 Gleb Yakunin published materials about cooperation of the Moscow Patriarchate with KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
. He claimed that Patriarch Alexius II
Patriarch Alexius II
Patriarch Alexy II was the 15th Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church....
, Mitropolit Filaret of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Pitrim of Volokolamsk, and others were recruited by the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
.
A large part of the archives of the Communist Party (preserved now in state archives such as Archive of the President of the Russian Federation
Archive of the President of the Russian Federation
The Archive of the President of the Russian Federation is a Russian state archive established in 1991 and managed by the Presidential Administration of Russia...
, Russian State Archive of Contemporary History, Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History and State Archive of the Russian Federation), including almost all documents of its Central Committee, remains classified.
In 1992 a number of people's deputies sued Yeltsin, requesting examination of his decrees concerning the Communist Party for compliance with the contemporary Constitution
Russian Constitution of 1978
The Constitution of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic of 12 April 1978 was formally its supreme law.- History :At its Extraordinary Session of 12 April 1978, the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR adopted a new republican Constitution, to replace the old Russian Constitution of 1937,...
. On November 30, 1992, the Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation
The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation is a high court which is empowered to rule on whether or not certain laws or presidential decrees are in fact contrary to the Constitution of Russia...
partially reviewed the decrees and lifted the ban against the Communist Party of the Russian SFSR
Reestablishment of the Communist party
The Communist Party of the Russian FederationCommunist Party of the Russian Federation
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation is a Russian political party. It is the second major political party in the Russian Federation.-History:...
was reestablished in February 1993. A number of smaller communist parties claimed to be successors of the CPSU as well.
Unlike in many other countries of the former Soviet bloc, lustration
Lustration
Lustration is the government process regulating the participation of former communists, especially informants of the communist secret police, in the successor political appointee positions or in civil service positions in the period after the fall of the various European Communist states in 1989 –...
of senior Communist Party and KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
officials in Russia was staunchly resisted and has never been implemented. Many of them have remained in power. In fact, most of the modern Russian politicians started their careers in the Soviet Union. A law project on lustration was first proposed to the parliament in December 1992 by Galina Starovoytova, but it has never been passed.
The persons arrested in connection with of the August Coup were released from prison in 1992, and the charges were lifted under amnesty by the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
on February 23, 1994. Vasily Starodubtsev
Vasily Starodubtsev
Vasily Alexandrovich Starodubtsev is a Soviet/Russian politician and ex-governor of Tula Oblast . He was also one of the GKChP members during the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt and is a former leader of the Agrarian Party of Russia.-References:...
was the Governor of Tula Oblast
Tula Oblast
Tula Oblast is a federal subject of Russia with its present borders formed on September 26, 1937. Its administrative center is the city of Tula. The oblast has an area of and a population of 1,553,874...
in 1997-2005, Anatoly Lukyanov
Anatoly Lukyanov
Anatoly Ivanovich Lukyanov is a Russian Communist politician who was the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR between 15 March 1990 and 22 August 1991. One of the founders of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in 1993, he is described by its leader Gennady Zyuganov as the "Deng...
was a deputy of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation is a Russian political party. It is the second major political party in the Russian Federation.-History:...
in the State Duma in 1993-2003, Valentin Varennikov
Valentin Varennikov
Valentin Ivanovich Varennikov was a Soviet/Russian general and politician, best known for being one of the planners and leaders of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, as well as one of the instigators of the Soviet coup attempt of 1991.-Early life:Valentin Varennikov was born to a poor Cossack family...
has been a deputy in the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
since 1995 (parties: Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Rodina
Rodina
Rodina or Motherland-National Patriotic Union was one of the four parties that controlled seats in the Russian legislature in 2003-2007...
), the latter two were heads of parliamentary committees.
There has been no deliberate attempt to deal with the Soviet past for Russia as a society.
Further reading
- Shevtsova, Lilia (1995). The Two Sides of the New Russia. Journal of DemocracyJournal of DemocracyThe Journal of Democracy is a quarterly academic journal established in 1990 and an official publication of the National Endowment for Democracy...
6 (3), 56-71. - Stewart, Debra W., Norman A. Sprinthall, Jackie D. Kem (2002) Moral Reasoning in the Context of Reform: A Study of Russian Officials. Public Administration ReviewPublic Administration ReviewPublic Administration Review is a bi-monthly academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Society for Public Administration. The editor is Richard J. Stillman II....
62 (3), 282–297. - Nelson, Susan H. The Bureaucratic Politics of Democracy Promotion: The Russian Democratization Project. PhD Diss, University of Maryland, 2006.
- Albats, Yevgenia. Bureaucrats and the Russian transition: The politics of accommodation, 1991-2003. PhD Dissertation, Harvard University, 2004.
- Bukovsky, Vladimir. Judgement Day. Washington, D.C.: Regnery, 1998. ISBN 0895263890
External links
- Communism: A Love Affair?: Russians Nostalgic for Soviet Social Services by The Global Post