Soviet Ideological Policy during the Era of Stagnation: Problems of «Developed Socialism»
Keywords:
Soviet ideology, concept of «developed socialism», mass consciousness, party and ideological work, ideological «picture of the world», mass consumer society, building socialism, «bright communist future»Abstract
Soviet ideological policy from the mid–1960s to the mid–1980s became a harbinger of the systemic crisis of the Soviet system and the subsequent collapse of the USSR. This article examines the characteristic features of Soviet ideology during this period, aiming to identify the causes of the ongoing degradation of ideological work. Ultimately, this led to a complete divergence between the ideological «picture of the world» that the Soviet party and ideological apparatus attempted to convey to the public consciousness and the reality in which Soviet people lived. The author concludes that the significant social changes occurring in society, caused by the scientific and technological revolution, were not sufficiently reflected in ideological concepts and the practice of party education. This created a crisis of confidence in the fundamental tenets of Soviet ideology among the population.
