A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively opposes an established opinion, policy, or structure. The term can be used to refer to a number of types of dissidents, including political, social, and militant dissidents. When individual dissidents unite in a common cause they may become known as a dissident movement.==Soviet dissidents==The term dissident was used in the Soviet Union during the period of 1965-1985, including Brezhnev stagnation, for citizens who criticizedthe dictature