The Continued Monitoring of Popular Discontent 1982-1985

Question 1

When did Andropov become general secretary of the communist party?

Answer 1

1982

Question 2

When did Andropov serve as the Soviet Ambassador to Hungary?

Answer 2

1956- during Hungarian Uprising

Question 3

What impact did Andropov serving as the Ambassador for Hungary during the Hungarian uprising have on his views on dissent?

Did other politburo leaders share this belief?

Answer 3

He was convinced that dissent action could turn into a popular uprising that could threaten the state.

They were less convinced, but his role as General Secretary meant his perception influenced government actions

Question 4

When did Andropov’s monitoring of dissident groups increase?

Answer 4

1982 (becomes general secretary)

Members of “Chronicle of Current Events” recall this period as one of the hardest to operate

Question 5

Post 1982— new technology (alongside usual plain clothes police officers) meant monitoring was becoming more sophisticated.

Examples?

Answer 5

Tape and cassette recorders — conversations recorded

Listening decides and cameras — hid in briefcases and bras

Question 6

Leading western academic who specialised on Soviet dissent at the time (1982-85) confirmed that the KGB were well informed of dissenter’s criticisms and their threat to stability was neutralised.

Name?

What did he say?

When?

Answer 6

Peter Reddaway

1983

[dissenters] “have made little or no headway among the mass of ordinary people in the Russian heartland”

Question 7

Andropov realises that dissidents didn’t represent the majority, and that popular discontent would be more likely to be based on concerns of what nature? (1982-85)

Answer 7

Economic

Question 8

What was Andropov greatly concerned with, in relation to economic conditions leading to popular discontent? 1982-85

Answer 8

INEFFICIENCY

Realised that if the government didn’t deliver a decent standard of living, discontent would be likely to spread.

Question 9

When did the communist government in Poland face serous unrest?

Why?

Answer 9

1980-81

Decision to raise food prices

Question 10

(Andropov was aware that economic issues could threaten instability in the USSR 1982-85)

What did he tell his doctor?

Answer 10

“We’ll make enough sausages, and then we won’t have any dissidents”

Question 11

Under Andropov 1982-85, what did the secret police clamp down on to try and increase efficiency?

(This highlighted POPULAR CONCERNS- ie. this was a general concern too?)

Answer 11

Alcoholism and absenteeism

Question 12

How did Andropov and the KGB clamp down on alcoholism and absenteeism in workplace 1982-85?

Answer 12

Spot checks on factories
Record attendance

Comb streets searching for truanting workers

Question 13

The recording of attendance in work place by KGB 1982-85 particularly upset what group of people?

Why?

Answer 13

Women

They had to juggle and full time job with queueing for food

Question 14

What was queueing (1982-85) partly a result of?

Answer 14

Government set prices

Cheap—> sold out quickly

Question 15

What did a Soviet mother feel was part of her job 1982/85?

Answer 15

He in the right queue at the right time

HAD TO BE

Question 16

What did Andropov’s actions 82-85 reveal about the public’s attitude to queuing and food prices?

Answer 16

They would rather have queues than higher food prices

Question 17

(Andropov recognised economic reform needed) 82-85

The party leadership was made largely of old men who had become out of touch with the general public’s concerns.

What did Andropov tell the politburo that the leadership needed to do?

Answer 17

“acquire an understanding of the society in which we live”

VERY DIFFERENT APPROACH FROM PREVIOUS LEADERS

Question 18

Andropov took a leading role in trying to acquire an understanding of Society and being about economic reform by visiting

Answer 18

Factories

Question 19

Where was the factory Andropov visited and when to talk to workers?

What was the event like?

Answer 19

Moscow

2/1983

Contrived.
Those who met him felt restricted as he was the ex KGB head.
He was austere, humourless and had no charm.

BUT meant well. genuinely wanted to listen.

Question 20

What was Andropov’s more effective method (than visiting factories) to tap into public concerns? 82-85

Answer 20

Appoint new government advisors

Question 21

Who did Andropov surround himself with to tap into public concerns 82-85?

Answer 21

Relatively free thinkers (journalists and academics— in touch with different causes of dissent/inefficiency)

Question 22

Which group did Andropov particular use to tap into public concerns 82-85?

Which individual especially? What did they argue?

Answer 22

A group of sociologists and economists from Novosibirsk

Tatyana Zaslavskaya
That the arbitrary nature of much of administration led to resentment

Question 23

Who did Andropov promote in the party leadership 82-85 to try and get economic reform?

Answer 23

Younger, reformist generation

They had experience in the lower levels of the party, so more in touch with the realities of the Soviet Union

Included Gorbachev, Ligachev, Ryzhkov (who would later play key roles in attempting to reform)

Question 24

In some ways, Andropov’s methods of monitoring popular discontent showed his greater desire to

Answer 24

Meet the needs of the general population and reform

Question 25

82-85 Andropov’s methods of monitoring stalled in development of FIRM ACTION to address concerns:

Andropov’s answer was to instil _________________ to try and make the __________ work better (instead of changing it)

Answer 25

Further discipline in the workforce

Existing

Question 26

What seriously hampered Andropov’s ability to bring more wide ranging reform?

Answer 26

I’ll health

Question 27

1) The gov failed to address irritations 82-85 BUT wrong to view mid 1980s Soviet Union as socially unstable. Why?
2) Did this mean the population was happy?

Answer 27

1) -Little public criticism of government
- Social conflict was rare
- A well worked system of propaganda, censorship, rewards and sanctions was highly effective

2) No.
grumbling was a popular soviet pastime.