ABSTRACT
Glasnost has allowed problems long simmering among the nationalities to come to the surface at writers' conferences, in the newspapers, and on the streets. In Central Asia, the spread of secondary education and the emergence of professional elite has been a vital part of Soviet strategy, "drawing non-Russians selectively into political and economic administration." Riots in Alma Ata two years ago deeply disturbed the leadership. But of all the pressing minority concerns on the Politburo agenda, events in the Caucasus and the Baltic region are surely the most urgent. Under Nikita Khrushchev, life brightened considerably as mass repressions halted, Estonians were once again admitted into the party, the economy improved, a measure of experimentation was allowed in the rural section, and living standards began to climb. The majority of demonstrations have been peaceful; in February 1988, forty-eight prominent Estonian cultural figures called for patience and urged avoidance of confrontation, which in their view could only provide fuel for the Stalinists.
