After the death of Stalin, the Khrushchev Thaw brought with it a period of De-Stalinization, which allowed the open criticism of Stalin's policies. Many Ukrainian communists particularly criticized the Stalinist policy of Russification, giving way instead to a period of Ukrainization. However, this policy was reversed under the Brezhnev administration, which advocated for a return to Soviet nationalism - continuing the halted russification of Ukraine. These policies, combined with the changes brought by "glasnost" and "Perestroika", saw the country's first democratic elections, which culminated with the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine.