1. Alternative periodicals
of the 1987-1991:
Samizdat of the
publicity epoch

2. This course is devoted to
the unique
phenomenon in a
political history of
Russia of last decades
of XX century – to the
alternative periodicals.

3.  Its origin dates to
the beginning of
perestroika and
publicity in Soviet
Union.
.

4. The alternative periodicals
 one hand have
continued
traditions of the
underground
samizdat 1960-70;
 on the other hand -
became the
beginning of new,
independent press
of Russia.

5. In the first years of 90-s it became
the mass phenomenon in the USSR
and exerted essential influence
on political events in the country:
 including disintegration of the USSR,
 the constitutional reform,
 the process of development of the Russian multi-
party system and parliamentarism.

6. The absence of researchers' consensus on questions
of terminology and chronological limits of origin and
existence of alternative periodicals is the bright
confirmation of necessity of studying of this problem.

7. Now this phenomenon has the whole
set of different names:
 "the Alternative press",
 "New samizdat",
 "the Informal press",
 "Quasilegitimate press",
 "the Nontraditional press“,
etc.

8.  The alternative
periodicals issued by the
representatives of the
informal groups and
associations became the
first editions, which have
broken traditional
monopoly of the CPSU
on censorship of
periodicals.

9. Authors and founders of such editions, which are more often
named "new samizdat", unofficially consider August, 1, 1987
date of publication of the first number of the human rights
bulletin "Express-chronicle" as the birthday of the independen
press.

10. "Express-chronicle" was not the first edition
of "new samizdat", but its appearance
directly provoked the relative stabilization
of such phenomenon as periodicals
of the new political and public associations.

11. Participants of these events emphasized the
connection of such periodicals with samizdat
of the 60-s - first half of 80-s in the USSR.
Many of them, for example, S.Grigor'jants
("Glasnost'"), A.Podrabinek ("Express-chronicle"),
L.Volohonsky ("Newsletter of IА SМОТ") actively
participated in issuing of dissident editions.

12. The structure of the "Express-chronicle" bulletin
partly repeated the structure of the well-known
human rights bulletin of 60-70-s: "Chronicles of the
current events".

13. As it was in the times of samizdat, in 1987-
1988 some editions were distributed
free-of-charge.
 However, very soon on
pages of such editions
the following message
began to appear: "The
newspaper or magazine
is distributed in
exchange for donations",
and some time after
there were indicated the
concrete sums of
donations.

14. The second characteristic feature of the "new
samizdat", which made it closer to its'
classical variant, was uncontrollable
replication of the periodicals.
 In Moscow, besides
private persons, in the
process of reprinting and
x-copying of
independent editions
there also actively
participated the Moscow
bureau of information
exchange, the Moscow
independent public
library etc.

15. From the second half of 1988 the editions
of peoples' fronts in Russian language from
Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian Soviet Socialist
Republics (first of all - "Atmoda" and "Vozrozhdenie
(Revival)", were distributed practically on all the USSR
territory.

16. By 1989 the numerous editions under the motto of people's
fronts of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia: "For our and your
freedom!" began to appear in the other regions of the USSR.
The most well-known of them was the newspaper of the party
"Democratic Union" (DS).

17. By the estimate of experts, in 1987-1991
on the territory of the USSR there were more than
1000 editions of political orientation in
Russian language.
For the Soviet and Russian press it is one
of the most unique periods.

18. The book «Alternative periodicals in the
history of the Russian multi-party system»
 ends with the events of 1996, when the first
presidential elections of the Russian Federation
under the new Constitution of the country took
place.
 But since 1992 there begins the process of
transformation of the «new samizdat» into the
press of the new political organizations.

19. Therefore, during the preparation of the
special course the period of existence of the
USSR was allocated as a separate theme.

20. The special course "Alternative
periodicals of Russia (1987-91)"
 is designed for the 4 thematic blocks
 including 12 lectures.

21. 1. Problems of research
 1.1. Archives, libraries and the other sources of
information.
 1.2. The basic problems of studying (terminology,
chronological limits).
 1.3. Gorbatchev's perestroika (reorganization) and
its influence on transformation of the samizdat.

22. 2. Bulletins of public clubs (1987-1988)
 2.1. Bulletins of democratic public clubs (1987-
1998).
 2.2. Editions of patriotic and communistic
associations.
 2.3. A role of this editions in public life of the
country.

23. 3. Editions of the first political organizations
(1989 – March, 1990)

 3.1 The Democratic Union.
 3.2 Editions of republican people's fronts.
 3.3. Alternative periodicals at the elections of
1989-90.

24. 4. Alternative periodicals at the last stage of
existence of the USSR
 4.1 Newspapers of political associations of
democratic direction .
 4.2. Editions of communistic and patriotic
opposition.
 4.3. Disintegration of the USSR and formation of
the Russian independent press.