Perestroika

Quick Facts: Who was Perestroika?

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Perestroika

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Soviet political reform movement aiming to restructure the economy and politics.

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Origins & Early Life

Perestroika ( PERR-ə-STROY-kə; Russian: перестройка, romanized: perestroyka, IPA: [pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə] ) was a political reform movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s, widely associated with CPSU general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and his glasnost ("transparency") policy reform. Perestroika literally means "restructuring", referring to the restructuring of the political economy of the Soviet Union in an attempt to end the Era of Stagnation. The term was coined by Soviet economist and sociologist Tatyana Zaslavskaya. Perestroika allowed more independent actions from various ministries and introduced many market-like reforms. The purported goal of perestroika was not to end the planned economy, but rather to make socialism work more efficiently to better meet the needs of Soviet citizens by adopting elements of liberal economics.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The process of implementing perestroika added to existing shortages and created political, social, and economic tensions within the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it is often blamed for the political rise of nationalism and nationalist political parties in the constituent republics of the USSR. The motivation for perestroika stemmed from a combination of entrenched economic stagnation, political sclerosis, and growing social dissatisfaction that had taken root in the early 1980s. These conditions compelled Gorbachev and his allies to initiate broad reforms to save the system from collapse. Gorbachev first used the term perestroika in a speech on December 10, 1984, and began implementing his reforms three months later, upon coming to power.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The era of perestroika lasted from 1985 until 1991, and is often argued to be a significant cause of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Russian-British sociologist Mikhail Anipkin views perestroika as a revolution of quadragenarians. In his 2024 book, Party Worker: The Rise of a Soviet Regional Leader, Anipkin argues that perestroika was desperately sought by the younger generation of Party functionaries, and that Mikhail Gorbachev sensed that demand. Anipkin draws his arguments from the political biography of his own father, Alexander Anipkin, a high-ranking Party apparatchik, who enthusiastically accepted perestroika and sought to further democracy within the Party. With respect to foreign policy, Gorbachev promoted "new political thinking": de-ideologization of international politics, abandoning the concept of class struggle, prioritizing universal human interests over the interests of any class, increasing interdependence of the world, and promoting mutual security based on political rather than on military instruments.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1984: 1984 Milestone — Gorbachev first used the term perestroika in a speech on December 10, 1984, and began implementing his reforms three months later, upon coming to power.
2. 1985: 1985 Milestone — The era of perestroika lasted from 1985 until 1991, and is often argued to be a significant cause of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
3. 2024: 2024 Milestone — In his 2024 book, Party Worker: The Rise of a Soviet Regional Leader, Anipkin argues that perestroika was desperately sought by the younger generation of Party functionaries, and that Mikhail Gorbachev sensed that demand.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Perestroika

True or False: “The primary goal of Perestroika was to immediately dismantle the entire planned socialist economic system.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Perestroika's purported goal was not to end the planned economy entirely, but rather to make socialism function more efficiently by incorporating elements of liberal economics.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Perestroika