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Perestroika in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic is the term commonly used to describe the sweeping changes in the economic and political structures of the Soviet Union initiated by General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev during the late 1980s. Ultimately, Perestroika led to the loss of centralized control, an economic crisis, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and Kazakhstan’s path to independence.
Opinions on the outcomes of Perestroika vary widely. The reforms only partially met their goals: society became more democratic, openness (glasnost) was introduced, censorship was lifted, private enterprise was legalized, and there was a thaw in relations with the West. However, the Soviet economy entered a decline, and politically, Perestroika culminated in the dissolution of the USSR. On the international stage, the Soviet Union lost much of its influence and effectively suffered a defeat in the Cold War.