Law on Cooperatives

{{Mikhail Gorbachev series}}

The Law on Cooperatives was a major economic reform implemented in the Soviet Union during General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika and glasnost reforms. It was implemented in May 1988, allowed for independent worker-owned cooperatives to operate in the Soviet Union, as opposed to just state-owned enterprises, and gave guidelines as to how these cooperatives should be managed.{{cite web|url=http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1985-2/cooperatives/cooperatives-texts/law-on-cooperatives/|title=Law on Cooperatives|website=Soviethistory.msu.edu|date=2 September 2015 |accessdate=30 July 2018}}

While originally the law imposed high taxes and restrictions on employment, it was eventually revised so as not to discourage activity within the private sector.{{cite web|last1=Pike|first1=John|title=Perestroika|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/gorbachev-perestroika.htm|website=GlobalSecurity.org|accessdate=17 March 2015|date=7 September 2011}}