PUBLIC-OPINION AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOVIET-UNION

This article examines the relationship between public opinion and the transformation of the Soviet Union. Results of an August 1990 survey showed that the majority of adults supported democratic reform, but lacked confidence in the Soviet regime. Young and middle-aged people, urban residents, and those with higher education tended to be more supportive of democratic reform and more alienated from the regime. The nationalities differed widely in support for democratic reform and confidence in the regime. In the partly democratized political system, Boris Yeltsin acquired a broad following by appealing to the electorate and advocating radical change. A February 1991 poll showed that his support was greatest among Russians who backed the Russian parliament and strongly endorsed democratic reform and private enterprise. With such backing, Yeltsin won the June 1991 Russian presidential election and then mobilized popular opposition to the August coup attempt. The coup's failure dealt a fatal blow to Communist rule, Gorbachev's leadership, and the Soviet Union itself.