Liberal Democratic Party of the Soviet Union

An effectively multi-party system emerged in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s in wake of the Gorbachev reforms. In March 1990, Article 6 of the Soviet Constitution, which ensured the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) a monopoly on power, was amended to allow other political parties to hold public office. This gave room to the rise of other political parties, specifically the LDPSU. In April 1991, the LDPSU became the second officially registered party in the country.{{cite book|last=White|first=Stephen|title=Developments in Russian Politics |editor=White |editor2=Gitelman |editor3=Sakwa|publisher=Duke University Press|year=2005|volume=6|chapter=The Political Parties|isbn=0-8223-3522-0}}

Former KGB General Philipp Bobkov has stated that "in line with Zubatov's ideas," the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union "proposed creating a pseudo-party controlled by the KGB" to direct the interests and sentiments of certain social groups, however he said that he was against the idea. Former Politburo member Alexander Yakovlev described how KGB director Vladimir Kryuchkov proposed the creation of the party with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at a meeting.{{cite web|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/ATAG/2014/545703/EPRS_ATA(2014)545703_REV1_EN.pdf|title=Russia: political parties in a 'managed democracy'|website=European Parliament|date=December 2014}} He also stated that the Central Committee took over which led to the creation of the Liberal Democratic Party. Yakovlev called the creation of the party a joint effort of the Central Committee and the KGB.Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev Time of darkness, Moscow, 2003, {{ISBN|5-85646-097-9}}, page 574 ({{langx|ru|Яковлев А. Сумерки. Москва: Материк 2003 г.}}, [http://www.pseudology.org/democracy/YakovlevSumerki.pdf www.pseudology.org])

The outspoken leader of LDPSU Vladimir Zhirinovsky gained 8% of votes during the 1991 presidential elections.{{cite book|last1=Hale|first1=Henry E.|editor1-first=Stephen|editor1-last=White|title=Developments in Russian Politics 7|year=2010|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|isbn=978-0-230-22449-0 |chapter=Russia's political parties and their substitutes}} He also supported the August 1991 coup attempt.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian section of the LDPSU became the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), while the Belarusian section became the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus (LDPB).

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{{Liberal Democratic Party of Russia}}

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{{Defunct Russian political parties}}

Category:1989 establishments in the Soviet Union

Category:1991 disestablishments in the Soviet Union

Category:Defunct nationalist parties in Russia

Category:Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

Category:Political parties disestablished in 1991

Category:Political parties established in 1989

Category:Political parties in the Soviet Union

Category:Russian nationalist parties

Category:Right-wing populist parties

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