Soviet Bloc Propaganda: The Glasnost Factor

In: Political communication and persuasion: an international journal, Band 4, Heft 4, S. 309-315

Abstract

Based on a survey of official government literature in Eastern Europe, it is contended that control over information has not been lifted in the era of glasnost, but simply reshaped & refined to achieve certain objectives. Glasnost has become a watchword for gaining public support & combating bureaucratic inertia, while attempting to resolve pressing domestic problems. On the international arena, glasnost has proven useful in jockeying with the West to attain leading positions in international technology. On the home front, glasnost is a useful addition to the state's propaganda repertoire for improving socialism & exhorting the population to discard various negative phenomena while increasing productivity. Each East European party-state appropriates, adapts, & applies several elements of Mikhail Gorbachev's current campaign in the USSR, & employs "glasnostian" terminology to influence the public mood, while keeping a watchful eye on Moscow. AA