Emigration

Question 1

What dissidents were allowed to emigrate?

Answer 1

high profile dissidents

Question 2

When the policy of allowing dissidents to emigrate was extended, how many potential ‘trouble makers’ were allowed to emigrate?

Answer 2

100,000

Question 3

What was the policy related to?
Why did this group of people want to leave?
What did Andropov do to allow them to leave?
How did Andropov justify letting them leave?

Answer 3

Jewish emigration
wanted to move to the Jewish state of Israel
Andropov ensured that all Jews who wanted to leave were given exit visas
Argued that:
Jews = around 1% of Soviet population
Jews = well represented in creative and intellectual industries e.g. 1/5 writers and journalists = Jews - professions that produced dissidents - pragmatic was of dealing with potential dissidents