Soviet Youth's Doubts about Communism and the Shadow of an Era of Stagnation 1970-1975

Soviet Youth's Doubts about Communism and the Shadow of an Era of Stagnation 1970-1975
In the 1970s, the Soviet Union was simultaneously experiencing stability and stagnation under the Brezhnev regime, and society as a whole was becoming rigid. The national goal of building communism was repeatedly propagandized, but it was not connected to the realities of life, and as an empty slogan, it had left the hearts of young people. The words of a young woman recorded in the file, "I don't know why we are building a communist society," sharply illustrate the formalization of the system and the disconnect between ideals and everyday life.
The university student's statement, "Political questions are too difficult to answer," is also not mere ignorance, but a defense to avoid making politically inadvertent statements, while at the same time indicating resignation that anything he says is meaningless. The young officer's openly expressed dissatisfaction with the military and social systems even implies the existence of a culture of repression and violence (daedovsina) within the military, and it can be read that loyalty was beginning to waver even within the state.
Meanwhile, the influx of rock music, fashion, movies, and other culture from the West gave young people new values and imagination for the outside world, expanding their sense of distance from the regime. The "model youth image" demanded by the regime and the sense of stagnation and desire for individuality felt by the youth did not overlap at all, and a double life, one in the front and the other behind the scenes, became the norm.