perestroika

American  

[per-uh-stroi-kuh, pyi-ryi-stroi-kuh] / ˌpɛr əˈstrɔɪ kə, pyɪ ryɪˈstrɔɪ kə /

noun

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

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perestroika British  

/ ˌpɛrəˈstrɔɪkə /

noun

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

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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

"I'm totally irritated by the whole 'we're soulmates' thing, I wish they'd just stop it," says Keedy Perestroika.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

He spent two years studying the role of musical activity in the nonviolent anti-Soviet uprisings of the Baltic States during the Perestroika era, publishing his research in English and Latvian.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

To that end, Gorbachev introduced two reformist state policies: Glasnost and Perestroika.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

The picture labelled as part of "Millennium Approaches" was part of "Perestroika".

From New York Times • Mar. 7, 2018

When Hoxha died in 1985, he was succeeded by a crony, Ramiz Alia, an Albanian Gorbachev who introduced local versions of Perestroika and Glasnost even before the Soviet leader did.

From After the Rain : how the West lost the East by Vaknin, Samuel