... this group. The democratic movement was morally opposed to the regime's suppression of civil liberties and constitutional rights, and concerned with the lack of protection for the individual and their rights.2 Initially, the dissident movement of the 'stagnation period' did not question Communist power, but merely objected to the style of leadership of the Soviet regime. It is important to stress that the dissidents had no desire to seize power themselves, nor to undermine it: most of them wanted to work within the existing system to defend the civil liberties of Soviet society, many of which were already enshrined in the Soviet constitution but which were not respected by the authorities. Peter Reddaway stresses that dissent "implies . . . an objection to certain of the rulers' actions or policies and a determination to 'articulate demands' not only through approved but also through non-approved channels."3 Many of those involved ...

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