Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness), introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s, were landmark reforms aimed at revitalizing the Soviet Union. Faced with economic stagnation, technological backwardness, declining productivity, bureaucratic inefficiency, and growing public dissatisfaction, Gorbachev sought to modernize the Soviet system without abandoning socialism. However, these policies produced profound political, economic, and social transformations that ultimately accelerated the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Politically, Perestroika sought to decentralize decision-making and reduce the excessive control of the Communist Party over state institutions. Gorbachev introduced democratic reforms by allowing competitive elections for the Congress of People's Deputies in 1989, encouraging greater public participation in governance. The policy weakened the monopoly of the Communist Party and promoted political pluralism. Glasnost complemented these reforms by allowing greater freedom of speech, press, and public debate. Citizens could openly criticize government policies, corruption, and administrative inefficiencies. Previously banned literature was published, and historical injustices such as Stalin's purges were openly discussed. These developments enhanced political transparency but also undermined the legitimacy of the Communist Party, exposing systemic failures