Abstract
This paper focuses on Siberian punk band, Grazhdanskaya Oborona (GrOb). Founded in 1984, the band broke up in 1990 due to growing mainstream appeal and the end of totalitarian Soviet discourse. The liberal atmosphere of the Soviet Union during perestroika undercut GrOb’s ability to voice criticism. Commercialization as well as a broadening audience also diluted the band’s message and eventually caused it to break up. Referring to fanzines, interviews, and scholarly research, the paper presents the struggle of GrOb, as well as the Siberian punk scene more broadly, to voice criticism as rock commercialized and the authoritarian discourse of the mid 1980’s broke down.
Recommended Citation
Klaits, Nathan
(2024)
"Punk and Perestroika: Voicing Resistance at the End of the USSR,"
Proceedings of GREAT Day: Vol. 15, Article 6.
Available at:
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/proceedings-of-great-day/vol15/iss1/6