The Four Soviet Cultures

Many Western intellectuals have become infatuated with the new Soviet policy of glasnost. But, since love is blind, this leaves open the questions of whether glasnost exists, and how one might evaluate it. In the Soviet Union, where free elections are an unheard-of concept, where town maps and phone books are still considered state secrets, and where true GNP numbers are classified, only culture (kultura) allows us to examine the real extent of glasnost.

The present-day Soviet culture is much more intricate and complex than is commonly realized in the West. It can be divided into four major categories—official, semi-official, non-official, and underground (dissident). Interconnections, shifts, and clashes among these segments present a fascinating portrait of the Soviet cultural machinery.

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Many Western intellectuals have become infatuated with the new Soviet policy of glasnost. But, since love is blind, this leaves open the questions of whether glasnost exists, and how one might evaluate it. In the Soviet Union, where free elections are an unheard-of concept, where town maps and phone books are still considered state secrets, and where true GNP numbers are classified, only culture (kultura) allows us to examine the real extent of glasnost.

The present-day Soviet culture is much more intricate and complex than is commonly realized in the West. It can be divided into four major categories—official, semi-official, non-official, and underground (dissident). Interconnections, shifts, and clashes among these segments present a fascinating portrait of the Soviet cultural machinery.