Glasnost is a policy of increased freedom in social and cultural matters introduced in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986.
A Russian word meaning openness, glasnost was adopted by the Soviet government in conjunction with perestroika (meaning progress), which heralded a new flexibility in the organisation of the economy of the USSR, and facilitated the improvement of relations with the West (by allowing Western entrepreneurs to exploit the markets).

However, it led to the creation of a small clique of super-rich and criminals, and for the majority of Russians worse poverty than before.