“The Multi-Party System should be Socialist…”: Letters of Russian Citizens to the Government as Historical Landmarks about the Political Consciousness of Russians in 1989

Abstract

The article analyzes the peculiarities of Soviet people’s understanding of a multi-party system in 1989. The article analyzes some previously unpublished letters of Russian citizens, kept in the Yeltsin Fund of the State Archive of the Russian Federation. These letters are addressed to Boris Yeltsin, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Soviet newspapers. In 1989, popular attitudes were shaped by political activities, such as preparations for the election of the First Congress of People’s Deputies of the Soviet Union, the election itself, and the First Congress of People’s Deputies of the Soviet Union itself. Soviet people only vaguely understood the functions of political parties and had no clear idea of such notions as multi-party systems, political freedom, etc. The analysis of these letters shows that Soviet citizens were dissatisfied with the Communist Party and how it ruled the country. However, due to Soviet agitation, people believed in creating a socialist society and hoped to create an alternative Socialist Party. The authors of these letters insisted that the new party should see to it that the Communist Party of the Soviet Union focused on political issues and did not interfere with other spheres of people’s lives. They also demanded that the number of party officials should be considerably reduced. Some citizens were against any party, associating them with inevitable dictatorship. The article maintains that Russian civil society could be built only if Russian people had correct ideas of what a multi-party system is and what role political parties play in society.