In March 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev took control of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and had made several political reforms that were resisted by the Communist Party. This lead to the invention of Perestroika (1987) , meaning, "restructuring". The word "restructuring" refers to the new organization of the Soviet political and Economic system. Perestroika consisted of many key elements, including:
- decentralizing the controls over the economy
- lessening the government's role in the decision making process of individual enterprises
- hoping to improve production levels by bettering the lives of workers (more recreation time, safer working conditions)