Authors

Discussion

The term "stagnation" originated from a political report delivered by M.S. Gorbachev to the 27th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in 1986. In this report, Gorbachev stated that "what we call stagnant and other phenomena alien to socialism have appeared in public life" in both the economic and social spheres. Most often, this term refers to the period from L. I. Brezhnev's rise to power until the beginning of perestroika.  

At first, people supported criticism of Brezhnev's rule. However, analyzing letters to the Central Committee and to the media, we can see a gradual shift in the popular perception of Brezhnivism as a golden age for the USSR began to emerge. This view later became entrenched in post-Soviet consciousness. 

In 1988 and 1989, letters began to appear, leading to a more positive and nostalgic assessment of the period. Citizens wrote that the stagnation period was not actually stagnant, as there were no food shortages, and in addition, there was strong regulation and distribution power. Through exploring letters to the Central Committee and media sources, we can see how during perestroika the image of the Soviet era as the "golden age" of the USSR was formed and became embedded in post-Soviet memory as a symbol of stability and prosperity. We can also analyze the key images that contributed to this image's creation.