| Archive shock |
Sudden publication of Gulag statistics, secret Stalin pacts, Central‑Committee slush funds |
Bulk de‑class dumps: Russiagate wire‑taps, JFK/MLK & Church‑Committee leftovers, intel‑pharma emails, climate hoax, green energy dismantling, partial SAP ledgers |
Redirect anger toward past elites while new fiscal rules are drafted |
| Show‑trials & high-profile cases |
“Uzbek cotton affair”, CPSU Baltic embezzlement cases, televised trials of Brezhnev cronies |
Indictments or plea deals: Hunter‑Biden tax & FARA counts; Russiagate investigators; possible Fed or SEC officials on insider leaks |
Sacrificial elites satisfy mimetic desire for justice; shields bigger changes |
| Media liberalisation blast |
End of Glavlit pre‑publication censorship; live Supreme‑Soviet sessions; rock concerts on state TV |
Full unmasking of social‑media algorithm files; WH–backed “AI transparency portal” for model audits; cameras in FISA renewal hearings |
Information overload drowns continuous‑budget headlines; voters pre‑occupied parsing leaks rather than COLA formula tweaks. |
| “New social contract” framing |
Congress of People’s Deputies promises co‑ops & participatory budgeting (while planning price reforms that never came). |
Treasury white paper: gold/crypto‑pegged Patriot‑Bonds; Social‑Security COLA shifted to chained CPI; means‑tested Medicare & voucher pilots. |
“Shared sacrifice after shared truth” narrative makes entitlements haircut look like grassroots demand, not executive fiat. |
| Patriotic‑moral veneer |
Slogans: “Back to Lenin’s ideals,” celebration of WWII victory lore, Orthodox church reopening |
“Restore Constitutional order,” revival of Founders’ iconography; executive orders invoking Judeo‑Christian heritage; gold re‑valuation cast as Founding‑era sound‑money revival |
Moral patriotism softens the cognitive shock of asset write‑downs and tax‑base restructuring |
| Foreign‑policy showpiece |
INF Treaty & Bush–Gorbachev Malta summit when domestic shortages peaked |
High‑visibility Israel/Ukraine two‑track peace blitz; selective tariff relief to non‑China allies; splashy summit at Vatican or Riyadh |
Foreign “win” diverts press cycles from domestic austerity votes; creates feel‑good rally |
| Regional concession & pull‑back |
Allowing Baltic & Caucasus “Popular Fronts” limited marches before price shock. |
Granting states broader Medicaid waiver & CBDC‑sandbox pilots; possible red‑state block‑grant opt‑outs. |
Devolves contention downward; lets federal budget shed liabilities while claiming “local empowerment” |
| Currency & savings shake‑up |
1991 Pavlov cash swap (50‑ and 100‑ruble notes) after glasnost crest. |
Digital‑dollar on‑boarding window; Patriot‑Bond exchange that taxes unrealised gains on Treasuries; crypto investments permitted in 401K |
One‑time inflation burst or conversion loss absorbed by savers distracted by continuing leak drama. |
| Tech‑reveal carrot |
De‑classification of some Mir space tech + talk of international space station to offset consumer‑goods collapse |
Limited release of exotic energy or hypersonic patents; NASA/SpaceX “public domain dataset” splash; maybe partial UAP file drop |
“Look at the future we’re giving you” messaging blunts outrage over trimmed pensions or gold‑reprice inflation |
| Religious reset |
Late‑Soviet restoration of Orthodox holidays; new ties with Vatican (1989 John‑Paul II audience). |
White‑House courtship of conservative‑leaning conclave; embrace of “public faith moments” in Oval Office; prayer‑breakfast legislation |
Re‑sacralises federal authority, offering spiritual counter‑weight to economic pain |
[…] from and we’d all do well to respect our elders more than is currently de rigueur, if these chaotic (and catholic) times call for anything, it’s certainly a little more irreverent […]
[…] and exhaustion yield necessarily to spirituality, higher planes, and duty.ix So from this glasnost, another Golden Age is all but assured, until of course the pendulum swings back to […]