Roy Medvedev’s Political Diary: An Experiment in Free Socialist Press

Abstract

This article focuses on the samizdat and tamizdat versions of the journal Political Diary, edited between 1964 and 1970 by the Soviet dissident Roy Medvedev. Based on an analysis of the nearly full collection of issues from the Moscow Memorial archives and interviews with Roy Medvedev, the author explores the functions of the journal during its samizdat and tamizdat periods, its place in the history of socialist dissent in the USSR, the transformations the text underwent for publication abroad, and its reception. The article argues that the journal’s functions were to aggregate reliable information on current Soviet politics, history, and culture gathered through various official and non-official channels; to offer Medvedev and his like-minded reformist socialist readers a space to reflect on current events and socialist democracy, primarily in opposition to attempts by neo-Stalinists to rehabilitate Stalin; and to give Medvedev an outlet and feedback mechanism for his current historical and political research. With the publication of the journal abroad in the 1970s, however, its perception shifted, influenced by the political context and Roy Medvedev’s reputation as a left-wing dissident. As a result, the dissident connections of the journal were downplayed and it was labelled a “loyal” samizdat publication.