ABSTRACT
Mikhail Gorbachev was elected general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) on 11th March 1985 and within weeks introduced the world to two new Russian words, glasnost and perestroika. Glasnost or ‘openness’ allowed for an open and honest appraisal of the problems facing the Soviet Union, including the Cold War confrontation. Perestroika or ‘restructuring’ addressed the need for the fundamental reform of the Soviet economy and the organisation of the CPSU.
