perestroika

American  

[per-uh-stroi-kuh, pyi-ryi-stroi-kuh] / ˌpɛr əˈstrɔɪ kə, pjɪ rjɪˈstrɔɪ kə /

noun

1. Russian. the program of economic and political reform in the Soviet Union initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986.

---

perestroika British  

/ ˌpɛrəˈstrɔɪkə /

noun

1. the policy of reconstructing the economy, etc, of the former Soviet Union under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachov

---

Etymology

Origin of perestroika

From the Russian word perestróĭka literally, rebuilding, reorganization

Explanation

Perestroika was a 1980s plan to reform and revitalize the Soviet Union's economy. Eventually, perestroika became one of the factors that led to the country's collapse. In Russian, perestroika means "reconstruction," and when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the policy in 1985, he intended to rebuild and strengthen the Soviet Union's economy. Changes under perestroika included loosening government control of businesses and encouraging self-financing of economic enterprises. Perestroika lasted until 1991, when the Soviet Union dissolved into 15 independent countries.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

perestroika

Even Mikhail Gorbachev’s Soviet Union attempted the turn toward markets under perestroika, though that effort was, as economists have noted, too incoherent to produce results before the state itself dissolved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Alexei, a 52-year-old building supervisor in Havana, recalled Mikhail Gorbachev's 1989 visit to Cuba, when the Soviet leader touted his perestroika reforms to a skeptical Fidel Castro and suggested that Cuba, too, needed to adapt.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

Gorbachev’s push for reform, known as perestroika, came when the Soviet economy looked close to collapse, with shortages of everything from shoes to onions.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2025

Then, in 1982, just a few years before perestroika, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” introduced a different kind of alien — an adorable, empathic being in need of human assistance.

From New York Times ● Jan. 9, 2024

But, as the post-Stalin “thaw” and Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika demonstrate, Russians can act collectively and autonomously when repression is reduced and the threat of immediate arrest recedes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2023