A Closer Look: Definition of Perestroika

Perestroika is certainly not a word you hear every day. While it may sound to some like a foriegn concept, that is because it is, in fact, a foriegn concept. Specifically, it is a word that originated in the Soviet Union to describe a policy and plan of economic reform designed to fundamentally change things in the Soviet Union.  Perestroika, then, is not one single concept but is instead a word that represents a sweeping movement of economic reform and change.

“Perestroika” is a term that describes the Soviet Union’s program of social, economic and political restructuring from 1987 through the dissolution of the USSR.  The dictionary defines perestroika as:

the policy of restructuring and reforming the economic, political, and social systems of the U.S.S.R. promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev beginning in the mid 1980s

History of Perestroika

In the mid-1980s, the Soviet Union was suffering a period of stagnation.  The one-party, one-candidate political system upset citizens who saw the democratic process in action throughout Europe and the United States.  Administrative management of the Soviet Empire was dictated by decades-old regulations and outdated methods.  Soviet military forces were scattered throughout the world in attempts to maintain communism—but all the while, communist dictatorships were being overthrown across Europe and Asia.

Mikhail Gorbachev surprised the entire world by announcing a set of sweeping reforms known as perestroika that would entirely change the political landscape of the Soviet Union.  Instead of continuing to support the one-sided election system, Gorbachev decided to involve the citizens of the country.  This resulted in a general election in 1989 to decide the Congress of People’s Deputies—the first time citizens in the Soviet Union ever got to elect their country’s administrative officials!  He began withdrawing forces from Afghanistan, and allowed for the freedom of religion and freedom of speech that so many other countries enjoy.  The citizens of the Soviet Union were now freer to act as individuals than they had been in decades.

What was the Perestroika Policy?

The perestroika policy encouraged business growth by allowing citizens to own and run their own businesses, and to profit from their sales.  Honest, qualified laborers now had the freedom to engage in buying and selling outside of the strict regulations the government had imposed for so long.  Although the policy initially led to civil unrest and long lines for basic goods and services, it eventually allowed for the Soviet Union to reform itself into a market suitable for open trade with democratic nations. A shift from what Gorbachev called “distorted Socialist ethics” provided more careful consideration as to the living conditions of the public.  Perestroika was intended to improve social and working conditions for the masses, to value and uphold the cultural and religious traditions of different groups of people, and to allow health care and solid education to the Union’s youth.  Gorbachev even said that perestroika would respect the citizens’ rights to “rest and recreation!”

What Does Perestroika Mean

To residents of the USSR, and to Mikhail Gorbachev himself, “perestroika” meant more than simply helping the economy.  It meant reforming the economy to reflect some of the principles that allowed the rest of the world to be so prosperous.  It meant more than the freedom to speak—it meant the freedom to express oneself as an individual against the rest of society.  For the USSR, perestroika was not simply a policy that allowed for the democratic process—it allowed the citizens to see and participate in democracy in action.  By June 1991, the Soviet Union had its first President elected by popular vote, Boris Yeltsin.

Perestroika was the first step toward dismantling the Soviet system in favor of free-market economics, democratic elections, and religious and cultural freedoms for the people that worked so hard to make the USSR a superpower.  These reforms ushered in a new era of Soviet politics and brought the Soviet Union into the 1990s as a brand-new nation.