perestroika
Americannoun
noun
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.
Vocabulary lists containing perestroika
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Yet an opening modeled on Russia’s 1980s perestroika is also a possibility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
But Gorbachev’s perestroika reforms were supposed to signal the start of a new era.
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2025
His restructuring and openness — perestroika and glasnost — of the late 1980s led to the dismantling of the Soviet Union and, peacefully and fleetingly, brought a divided Europe together in liberty.
From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
