Gorbachev's Perestroika

Perestroika was a series of reforms introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s aimed at restructuring the USSR's political and economic systems. It sought to introduce limited market mechanisms, reduce government control over businesses, increase transparency (glasnost), and encourage more openness and debate. The goal was to modernize the economy, improve efficiency, and make governance more accountable. While intended to strengthen socialism, these reforms inadvertently led to increased political freedom and contributed to the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union. Perestroika represented a major attempt to reform a system struggling with stagnation and decline.