Perestroika was a new policy introduced by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] in the Soviet Union to allow the people to own small businesses.
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'''Perestroika''' ([[Russian]]: перестройка), which means "restructuring", was a new policy introduced by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] in the [[Soviet Union]] to allow the people to own small businesses. Gorbachev tried to transform the stagnant, inefficient command economy into a decentralized, market-oriented economy. Under ''perestroika'', more people were allowed to participate in elections for Communist party bosses, and Communist party industrial managers were granted greater autonomy from Moscow central control.
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Coupled with the new policy of ''[[glasnost]]'' or "openess," people were free to express their dissatisfaction with ''perestroika'' and all forms of [[socialism]] in favor of a multi-party system and [[democracy]]. Perestroika and glasnost together ultimately contributed to the complete collapse of the [[Soviet Union]].