Perestroika

Perestroika, which means "restructuring" in Russian, was a political and economic reform initiative launched by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s. Aimed at revitalizing the stagnant Soviet economy, it introduced elements of market economics and increased openness in government practices. Gorbachev sought to reduce state control and encourage private enterprise, while also promoting greater transparency and political freedom through Glasnost, or "openness". These reforms ultimately contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, as they sparked movements for independence and democracy across Eastern Europe.