MOSCOW Many political illusions have been shattered, andPresident Boris N. Yeltsin's popularity has slumped in the year thathas followed the collapse of communism in the former Soviet Union.But Russia has changed in one way that may profoundly affect thecountry's future: The Russian people no longer think and actuniformly in the political arena.
As long as the communists were in power, public opinion tendedto be unanimous. Most people were afraid to express anything butsupport for the regime. But when Mikhail S. Gorbachev, as theSoviet leader, inaugurated his policy of glasnost, or openness, therewas an outpouring of grievances. The stage was set for a strugglebetween …
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