Key Terms

 

Perestroika

  • Perestroika means restructuring

  • It had three strands: a liberalisation of the economy, greater freedom for the media (with obvious links to glasnost too) and the democratisation of the political system

  • The Law on State Enterprises allowed state enterprises the independence to operate under their own management

  • The Law on Cooperatives allowed for private cooperative enterprises

  • Workers were also allowed to leave collective farms

  • The Joint Venture Law allowed for shared foreign ownership of State enterprises as well as cooperatives which

Glasnost

  • Glasnost means openness

  • Censorship was eased in newspapers and also in books, the arts, films and music

  • This meant that criticism would be tolerated

  • Dissidents were also released from detention