The Russian leader who implemented the policies of perestroika and glasnost was Mikhail Gorbachev. He came to power in the mid-1980s and sought to reform the Soviet Union's economy and government. Perestroika, meaning "restructuring," aimed at introducing market-like reforms to the central planning system, while glasnost, meaning "openness," sought to increase transparency and freedom of expression. These policies were intended to revitalize the faltering Soviet economy and improve relations with the West. However, they also unintentionally unleashed political and social forces that contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, leading to significant political changes across Eastern Europe.