What is Perestroika?
Gorbachev and the Russian Economic 'Reconstruction'
Perestroika led to the collapse of the Soviet economy. So what is perestroika?
Perestroika. You've heard this funny-sounding word used in the same sentence with glasnost. But what is perestroika?
Perestroika literally means "reconstruction." In this particular case, in the Soviet Union under Gorbachev, perestroika meant reconstruction of the economy, which was in dire straights right before its collapse.
The economic restructuring that occurred under perestroika took steps towards a free market economy. While strict guidelines were still in place, Gorbachev sought to eliminate crippling monopolies and open up the USSR to foreign trade. Foreign investors were even permitted to buy shares in Soviet ventures.
Glasnost was intended to make the transition into perestroika easier. In fact, the two reforms acted in such a way as to cause destabilization across the USSR. As the economy slumped even further, freedom of speech and press was utilized to express distrust and dissatisfaction.
Those who miss the good old days of the Communist regime often blame perestroika for the upheavals that led to economic collapse. The most bitter see it as a Western plot to unhinge a stable Soviet Union. It may be understandable that those who suffer a worse existence than they did under Communism would see perestroika as a national catastrophe. But it's reasonable to believe that, with or without perestroika, the Soviet economy would have realized the same fate.
