Pravda (Правда, Truth) was the official voice of Soviet communism and the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1918 and 1991, and the most important newspaper of the Soviet era. Founded in 1912 in St. Petersburg, Pravda originated as an underground daily workers’ newspaper and was subjected to constant persecution, fines, penalties, and prohibitions by the government. To avoid censorship and forced closures, the name of the newspaper changed multiple times during its early years. Before long, however, Pravda became the main newspaper of the revolutionary wing of the Russian socialist movement and when the Bolsheviks seized power during the October Revolution in 1917, it became the official publication of the Soviet Communist Party.
Throughout the Soviet era, party members were obligated to read Pravda. The paper’s primary role was to deliver the official line of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Pravda remained the official voice of Soviet communism up until 1991, when Boris Yeltsin signed a decree closing Pravda down. After the collapse of the USSR, nationalist and communist journalists intermittently published a print newspaper and an online newspaper under the name Pravda. Today, Pravda remains the official organ of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, an important political faction in contemporary Russian politics.
Publication of Pravda was completely suspended in 1915 and 1916, and no issues were produced. The lack of content for this period is not a gap, but reflects the newspaper’s publication schedule during these years.
This digital archive does not include current year issues. Annual updates are available for an additional fee.
Please note: this newspaper archive is also accessible within the East View Global Press Archive and can be accessed on the Global Press Archive platform, which allows interoperability with a large number of global newspaper titles.