Graham, James. "Mikhail Gorbachev's Glasnost." On This Day, edited by Nic Taewa
Graham, James. "Mikhail Gorbachev's Glasnost." On This Day, edited by Nic Taewa
Press Expresses Freedom of Speech and Criticism of The Government
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Chernobyl Disaster Sparked a Push for GlasnostOn April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant exploded. Thousands of people in the nearby city were exposed to fatal amounts of radiation and many people died. Not until two day later, after the radiation spread halfway across Europe, was the news announced. This late notice made the public dissatisfied with their government's transparency and seemed to be the first push for a reform like Glasnost.
He states flatly that the Chernobyl explosion was “Perhaps the real cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union.”
and the explosion "made absolutely clear how important it was to continue the policy of glasnost.” |
Beissinger, Mark R. "Nationalism and the Collapse of Soviet Communism."
Princeton.edu, Princeton College
Taubman, Phillip. "In Lithuania Too, Nationalism Surges." New York Times, 23 July 1988