Mikhail Gorbachev’s (1931-2022) speech before a gathering of state media leaders on 14 March 1986, in which he named the Soviet media as the driver of perestroika’s success—positioning it as both a revolutionary force for public awakening and a loyal partner to the Party.

A photograph of letter department workers at Moscow's television and radio guide, Govorit i pokazyvaet Moskva (1973-1990), processing mail from citizens writing in about the upcoming 27th Communist Party Congress in 1986.

Documentation of the 17 March 1991 referendum in which Soviet voters weighed in on whether it was “essential” to “preserve the USSR” as a federation of “equal sovereign republics.” 80% of the eligible population participated, with 77.8% of that number voting YES. 

During perestroika, the Soviet government encouraged media to foster closer ties with citizens, leading to unprecedented reader engagement and evolving perceptions of press independence. In this June 1988 issue of the national weekly Literaturnaia gazeta, a reader objects to the editors’ choice to send a copy of his letter to the Party Central Committee.

Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989), a physicist and Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident, returned to Moscow from internal exile in 1986. He quickly became one of the USSR's most popular and respected public figures, surpassing even Gorbachev in some polls. His sudden death in December 1989 drew tens of thousands of mourners, despite a muted official response.

Televised footage of the USSR’s first Congress of People’s Deputies in 1989. So many Soviet citizens tuned in to the live broadcast that production rates fell nationwide.