Idea and Identity
Lines of Tradition in Soviet Dissent
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The rise of the dissident movement in the Soviet Union fed on the protest against the interrupted de-Stalinism. At the same time, the mere existence of dissidents was an indicator for the extent of change that had taken place after Stalin’s death. The relinquishment of mass terror represented a true revolution from above. Originally, representatives of different ideological currents were to be found among the dissidents. Gradually, ideological disputes within the regime-critical camp increased in acrimony. Two basic currents crystallised. These harkened back to the 19th-century debate between the “Westernisers” and the “Slavophiles.”
(Osteuropa 11/2010, pp. 127–152)