Word
Perestroika
Russian for “restructuring”: Mikhail Gorbachev's effort to remake the Soviet economy and political system while preserving socialism and the Soviet Union
Examples
Perestroika gave many state enterprises more control over production, wages, and investment.
The 1988 Law on Cooperatives allowed member-owned restaurants, shops, and services to operate for profit.
Origin
Russian perestroika means “restructuring” or “rebuilding,” from pere-, “again,” and stroika, “building.” Gorbachev turned it into a global political word after 1985. It is often paired with glasnost, “openness,” but the terms were not identical: perestroika changed institutions; glasnost widened public discussion.
How it connects
The word named a rebuilding that tried to remake the system while keeping socialism and the union intact.
This word appeared in When reform outruns the reformer, the Involves connection for August 5, 2026, which asked: Can a government loosen control without losing control of the outcome?
Check yourself
What was perestroika?
Gorbachev's effort to remake the Soviet economy and political system while preserving socialism and the Soviet Union.. Right. Russian for “restructuring”: remake the system, keep socialism and the union.
What the sources establish
Perestroika, Russian for restructuring, was Gorbachev's program of economic and political reform within socialism, launched after 1985.
Sources
Perestroika (Encyclopaedia Britannica), Definition, aims, reforms, and assessments