Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union

The Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union (LDPSU; Russian: Либерально-демократическая партия Советского Союза (ЛДПСС), Liberal'no-demokraticheskaya Partiya sovetskogo Soyuza (LDPSS) was a political party in the Soviet Union which preceded the modern-day Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR).

Liberal Democratic Party
of the Soviet Union

Либерально-Демократическая
Партия Советского Союза
LeaderVladimir Zhirinovsky
FoundersVladimir Bogachov
Vladimir Zhirinovsky
Founded13 December 1989 (1989-12-13)
Dissolved18 April 1992 (1992-04-18)
Split fromDemocratic Party
Succeeded byLiberal Democratic Party of Russia
Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus
Liberal Democratic Party of Ukraine
HeadquartersMoscow, Russia
IdeologyRight-wing populism
Russian nationalism
Ultranationalism
Before 1990:
Liberalism
Liberal conservatism
Political positionRight-wing to far-right
Before 1990:
Centre-right
Colours  Gold   Blue

History

Creation

An effectively multi-party system emerged in Soviet Union in the late 1980s in wake of the Gorbachev reforms. In March 1990, Article 6 of the Soviet Constitution, which ensured the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) a monopoly on power, was amended to allow other political parties to hold public office. This gave room to the rise of other political parties, specifically the LDPSU. In April 1991, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) became the second officially registered party in the country.[1] According to former CPSU Politburo member Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev, the new party was a joint project of CPSU leadership and the KGB. He described how KGB director Vladimir Kryuchkov presented the project of the puppet party at a meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev and informed him about his selection of LDPSU leaders and the mechanism of funding.

KGB General Philipp Bobkov described the organization as "Zubatov's pseudo-party under KGB control that directs interests and sentiments of certain social groups".[2]

The outspoken leader of LDPR, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an effective media performer,[1] gained 8% of votes during the 1991 presidential elections.[3] He also supported the August 1991 coup attempt.

See also

References
  1. White, Stephen (2005). "The Political Parties". In White; Gitelman; Sakwa (eds.). Developments in Russian Politics. 6. Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3522-0.
  2. Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev Time of darkness, Moscow, 2003, ISBN 5-85646-097-9, p. 574 (Russian: Яковлев А. Сумерки. Москва: Материк 2003 г.). The book provides an official copy of a document providing the initial LDPR funding (3 million rubles) from the CPSU money.
  3. Hale, Henry E. (2010). "Russia's political parties and their substitutes". In White, Stephen (ed.). Developments in Russian Politics 7. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-22449-0.
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