From Soviet Komsomol to Independence: How Former Communists Built Civil Society in Former Republics

CBEES, in co-operation with the Amsterdam School for Regional, Transnational and European Studies (ARTES) at Amsterdam University and the Oxus Society for Central Asian Affairs (Washington, DC) organize an international interdisciplinary conference. The conference includes three-panel discussions.

During the Soviet Union, the Communist Party oversaw and approved civic activities within each republic. For example, the All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union (Komsomol) was used to mobilize and indoctrinate youth in support of the party. However, the situation began to change in the second half of the 1980s after Gorbachev's introduction of glasnost and perestroika. Namely, Gorbachev’s reforms aimed to liberalise the communist regime and introduce the market economy, as well as democratize political life and make it more transparent. They provided more freedoms and rights for mass media and citizens to criticise authorities as well as create a more open and trust-based society.

After the collapse of the USSR and with the independence of the former Soviet republics, the process of transformation and democratic reforms began in the newly independent post-Soviet countries. This process was characterized by a high level of civil society activity and the creation of local non-governmental organizations and political movements by former functionaries of the communist system and young Komsomol members. In part, the dismantling of the old Soviet organizations began with the formation of new non-governmental organizations. The young Soviet generation turned from ardent fighters for communist ideals into reformers and initiators of change. They were key participants in the development of the protection of human rights and freedoms, the struggle against inequality, resolving conflicts, preserving cultural heritage, educational and humanitarian activities, the environment, and many other spheres of the country's public life, which were sponsored by Western countries (USA, Canada and the EU), international donors and organizations (UN, World Bank and Soros Foundation).


While recognizing the huge diversity in the former Soviet republics, the Soviet legacy continues to shape restrictive measures and the promotion of illiberal values ​​in most authoritarian or hybrid post-Soviet countries (e.g. Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Central Asian states). In recent years, using various tools and tactics, these regimes have increasingly put pressure on NGOs and civil society. Tactics include restricting civic activities, revoking licenses from NGOs and threatening them with closure, recognizing them as “foreign agents”, as well as undermining the legitimacy of the regimes in order to achieve subordination and full control over these institutions by the regime.

Therefore, it seems particularly important to understand why some of the communist organizations’ members took part in the NGO development and how their background and involvement shaped the civil society landscape across the former Soviet republics. Understanding this can contribute to our analysis of the successes and failures of civil society in contributing to democratization in these countries.