Perestroika in the USSR is a new course of party leadership, which was marked by the totality of economic and political changes that took place in the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1992.
The main initiator of these changes was Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, who at that time held the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. According to him, the policy of perestroika was a sharp and profound change. They affected almost all spheres of life in Soviet society.
The reasons for the perestroika in the USSR were unequivocally difficult. The management believed that the stagnation in the development of the state directly depends on the outdated form of government, which could no longer correspond to the new time. Therefore, in 1987, at a plenum of the CPSU Central Committee, it was decided to declare perestroika nothing more than a completely new direction in the development of the country and the people living on its territory.
Historians claim that perestroika in the USSR was divided into three stages.
The first period was marked by the awareness of the people that current politics cannot keep pace with the times, and will certainly lead the Soviet Union to collapse. Also at this stage, Gorbachev conducted several mass companies that were aimed at eliminating the main problems that exist in society. Thus began an open struggle against alcoholism, which flourishes among the people. In addition, the country's leadership took several anti-corruption steps, the purpose of which was to intimidate people who are used to bribes.
In a way, this step helped. Now many officials have become more attentive to their activities, which has led to a decrease in corruption statistics.
At the second stage, perestroika in the USSR gained a socialist spirit. The people liked many reforms because they were sent in a democratic direction. So, starting from this time, the requirements for censorship have significantly decreased. Glasnost was announced in the country. And private enterprise was officially confirmed by law. Also, the people were happy that the Soviet Union had now moved away from a policy of secrecy and hostility towards other countries and their nations. Now the USSR wanted to draw closer to the West, improve trade and economic relations and allow its citizens to go abroad temporarily and permanently without any problems. But at that time, few wanted to leave their homeland forever, because now society believed in its happy future in its own land.
At the third stage of such a process as perestroika in the USSR, the question of confronting the communist system with the new democratic state policy, which received great support among the common Soviet people, becomes acute. Also during this period all the problems hidden under the general euphoria came out. The economic crisis was marked by a shortage of goods in the country, which contributed to the disappointment of the people, because no one wanted to stand in lines for a long time.
Because of this, people ceased to trust the rulers of the state, and the policy of perestroika was disappointing for many. Organizations flourished in the country that promoted the rejection of any proposed ideas of rulers. The people, on the contrary, demanded the overthrow of power. Naturally, the natural outcome of this situation was the crisis and the liquidation of the power of the CPSU in the country. Immediately after this, the complete collapse of the USSR happened . Now a state called the Soviet Union did not exist.
Although at that moment the people were glad of such a development of events, today, more and more opinions are heard that life was better in those days. In addition, in the CIS countries, with every election, the Communist Parties receive more and more support from the people.