perestroika
UK[ˌpɛrəˈstrɔɪkə]US[ˌpɛrəˈstrɔɪkə]
n
a political and economic reform movement within the communist party of the soviet union during the 1980s, characterized by restructuring and openness.
Etymology
the term 'perestroika' is a direct borrowing from russian (перестройка), where it literally means 'restructuring' or 'rebuilding'. it entered the english lexicon in the mid-1980s to specifically denote the sweeping political and economic reforms initiated by soviet leader mikhail gorbachev. the russian word itself is formed from the prefix 'pere-' (meaning 'again' or 're-') and 'stroika' (meaning 'building' or 'construction'), but this morphological breakdown is not applied to its english spelling. as a loanword, it carries the full historical and cultural context of the late cold war era, representing a period of attempted systemic reform within the soviet union.
Analysis
this word is a direct loanword from russian, adopted as a simplex term into english. it is not segmented into smaller, meaningful morphemes using english spelling conventions.
Examples
gorbachev's policy of perestroika aimed to revitalize the soviet economy through decentralization.
the era of perestroika was accompanied by glasnost, or increased political openness.
many historians analyze the unintended consequences of perestroika on the dissolution of the ussr.