15 February 2006
Gorbachev: 20th Communist Congress was key to democracy
The 20th Congress of the CommunistParty of the Soviet Union, which is especially known for NikitaKhrushchev's secret speech denouncing the policies of then-recently deceased Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, was a precursor of perestroika,Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev told journalists ahead of the forum's 50th anniversary, to be celebrated on Wednesday.
"It was an incredibly important event that predetermined most of the subsequent processes in our country. In my opinion, this congress and perestroika are linked. I do not think that a concept like perestroika could have appeared without it," he said.
However, Russian society remains divided on both events, Gorbachev said.
"Some people believe that this congress was the dawn of liberation from Stalinism as a totalitarian foundation of society, while others refer to it as the congress of traitors. Many people also see perestroika as a betrayal," he said.
"It would be wrong to say that the congress was important only because it denounced Stalin," the former Soviet president said.
"The 20th Congress addressed not only the cult of personality, but also democratic problems and ways to manage the country," Gorbachev said.
Interfax, February 14, 2006
