What does Perestroika mean in english?

Question

i need to know the english translation for the word " Perestroika". I've been told its russian by an unreliable source.

is it even a real word?

Answer 1

it basically means "economic reconstruction".

hope this helps.:]

Answer 2

It's Russian for "restructuring"

Answer 3

Yes it is a 'real word' - it was originally russian - and was used to describe the reforms (mainly economic) that Gorbachev (then leader of the Soviet Union) introduced in the mid 80's - 1987, I think. I don't know the literal translation off by heart, but a quick internet search says it means "restructuring". I won't go into the details - I'm pretty sure you don't want a lesson on Russian history or economics, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to give you a very good one anyway, but that's the general gist of it. Perestroika actually did the opposite of what it was supposed to though, and ended up just speeding up the downfall of the soviet union.

That's it in a nutshell.