3-GORBACHEV+Creuss,+Nick

__Media in the Soviet Union__

What was the situation for that group/institution before Gorbachev became Premier?
Before Gorbachev took on the role of Premier, media within the Soviet Union was extremely restricted in in what it could and could not produce. Primarily, the media was almost completely restricted from criticizing the government in any way, as the ruling powers sought to maintain the status quo and remain in power, which would be much easier if the media did not interfere or lead citizens to question the actions of the government or those of whom it was comprised. The media during the Soviet Union’s existence was incredibly controlled, such that the only source of media was produced by the government itself. The central government’s strategy of controlling the media and making sure that no media criticized the government (or encouraged citizens to do so) was simply one of making sure that no media existed outside of the sources of which it approved. This meant that any media publication was required to produce “goal-oriented” material, which was approved by the government and paralleled the government’s ideas. In doing so the Soviet Union was able to ensure that all mass media remained in favor of the central government, until Gorbachev became Premier and introduced the glasnost policy.



Gorbachev’s reforms did not completely remove the control system but merely changed it. This change took the shape of a broadening of topics which could be discussed, as well as a change of those in charge of editing media before it was released to the public. Previously, editors which were chosen by the government ensured the creation of material which strictly followed the goals of the government. While even after Gorbachev’s reforms the government did continue to choose the editing teams, the new editors which were chosen produced slightly more honest and open material which was sometimes as much as a few degrees away from being completely parallel to the ideas of the government. In other words, Gorbachev’s reforms (mostly glasnost) did not lead to a completely new or open mass media system in the Soviet Union, but merely improved and slightly broadened the previous system. The transition from the previous system to the one Gorbachev favored was muddled and messy, but it did eventually result in a slightly improved system.
 * How did that group/institution interpret the application of those policies to it? **



**the effects?** Gorbachev’s government chose new editorial brands and decreased the number of prohibited topics. The effects were a system which was structured to still be in favor of the current Premier, but also to promote a slightly more open system and give media backing to the reforms as Gorbachev pushed them through.
 * How did the Soviet state apply those policies to that group/institution, and what were **



Gorbachev’s reforms, while not intended to create or resulting in a complete change of the previous mass media system in the Soviet Union, did lead the Soviet media down a more open path. Glasnost marked the beginning of a mass media system which featured slowly decreasing government control and equally slowly increasing truthful and relevant material. The transition from the previous mass media system to one of complete openness is still taking place today, but the transition began in 1985 when Gorbachev introduced his glasnost reform. Similar to much of the rest of his reforms, Gorbachev’s reforms in media were not completely successful, but they did set the Soviet Union on a path of increasing media freedom. In fact, by the end of the 1980s certain sources began to successfully openly criticize the current Soviet government, a sign that the media in the Soviet Union was on its way to becoming a more western system.
 * What was the significance of Gorbachev’s reforms as it pertained to that **
 * group/institution? **



__Works Cited__ Gibbs, Joseph. //Gorbachev's Glasnost: The Soviet Media in the First Phase of Perestroika //. N.p.: Texas A&M UP, 1999. N. pag. //Google Books //. Google. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. .