The Birth of Mass Politics (1989–90)

Abstract

The nationality question became increasingly acute after 1989 with massacres of Meshketians in Central Asia, pogroms and ethnic conflict within Azerbaidzhan as well as the centre’s clumsy repression of Georgian nationalists. In addition, the elections to the Congress of People’s Deputies radicalised demands within the republics, strengthening the activities of the Popular Fronts. In some republics there was already effectively shared power between all-union institutions and the Popular Fronts. In December of that year the Lithuanian branch of the CPSU seceded, causing the first serious fracture in the once monolithic Communist Party. Throughout the non-Russian republics the legitimacy of Communist Party rule was undermined, especially as glasnost′ revealed previously taboo ‘blank spots’ in history with Stalinera mass graves of victims opened up to public scrutiny and condemnation (Bykivnia in Ukraine, Kuropaty in Belarus).