In December, 1987, Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev met with President Reagan, and proposed a new style of "openness" within the USSR. The Russian word for "openness" became a well-known word even in the west. What was that word?

When Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met with U.S. President Reagan in the late 1980s, he introduced a revolutionary concept for the USSR: a new policy of "openness." The Russian term for this policy, glasnost, quickly entered the global vocabulary. Literally translating to "publicity" or "openness," it signaled a dramatic shift away from the secrecy that had defined the Soviet government for decades.

This policy was more than just a friendly gesture. For the first time in generations, Soviet citizens were encouraged to discuss and even criticize government officials and policies. Glasnost led to a loosening of state censorship on the media and the arts. It was implemented alongside another famous policy, perestroika (restructuring), which aimed to reform the stagnant Soviet economy. The two were intended to work together to revitalize the communist system from within.

While Gorbachev hoped these reforms would strengthen the Soviet Union, glasnost had an unintended and explosive effect. The newfound freedom of information allowed long-suppressed nationalist sentiments and deep-seated dissatisfaction with the regime to come to the surface. Ultimately, the forces unleashed by glasnost proved too powerful to control, contributing significantly to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.