After the collapse of the USSR

From 1992 to 1996 there were considerable changes in the development of public, non-governmental activity in Russia. Economic reform, changes in the Russian government's foreign policy and the opening up of borders together provided more favourable conditions which facilitated this.

More and more organisations began to appear, spanning a wide range of social and political issues. If, before 1991–2, there were mainly political movements which had a common name of ‘informals’ (neformaly) and who dealt with problems of human rights, politics and ecology, after 1992 different small organisations began to appear, based on particular social needs. These included economic survival, health, religious and spiritual fulfilment, family problems, the difficulties faced by the handicapped (children and adults) and homelessness.

After 1991, when the USSR ceased to exist, the structures which had previously prevented direct contacts between Russian public groups and activists with their Western counterparts were no longer there. An important role was played by Western journalists who worked very energetically in Russia, establishing contacts with political leaders and social movements. Journalists played the role of mediators, bringing together initiatives from both sides.

The ‘third sector’

Thus, social and political activism began to change. The idealism and romanticism of the first years of perestroika were gradually trans-formed into a realisation of the need for an institutionalisation of nongovernmental movements. Their stable and effective functioning depended upon economic survival, and the term ‘third sector’ appeared, becoming a part of the Russian vocabulary.