glasnost

/ˈɡlæsnɑst/

During the 1980s, glasnost was the Soviet Union’s new policy of openness and free speech. Under glasnost, Soviets could openly criticize the government without fear of being arrested.

When Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, he initiated policies meant to open the government and share information with the people. Glasnost, which means "openness to public scrutiny" in Russian, allowed Soviet citizens to freely discuss problems they observed in the government and society. Gorbachev hoped to revitalize the Soviet Union with this new openness, but these changes led to its disintegration just six years later.

Definitions of glasnost

1. noun

   a policy of the Soviet government allowing freer discussion of social problems
   type of:

   social policy

   a policy of for dealing with social issues