Repression and Liberalisation
Soviet Power and Dissidents, 1953–1986
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Political stability in the Soviet Union also depended on the ability of the Communist Party to assert its monopoly on power. Opposition was not foreseen. But dissidents called the party’s monopoly on power into question. The regime responded with repression. This ranged from intimidation and ostracism, to confinement in psychiatric facilities and exile. Access to formerly secret sources have made it possible to conclude that the regime’s handling of the dissidents was no less influenced by domestic political factors than by the international political climate.
(Osteuropa 11/2010, pp. 105–126)