Legal regulation of social protection of the population of the USSR during the years of perestroika (1985-1991)

The purpose of the study is to examine the social transformations carried out in the USSR from 1985 to 1991 by analyzing the adopted normative legal acts aimed at the social sphere in the context of increasing crisis phenomena in the state and society during the period of perestroika. During the study, it was determined that the social protection system is an integral part of the socio-economic policy of the state. This study analyzes social policy, including resolutions of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the government, laws, decrees and their impact on the social sphere in the context of perestroika. The author reveals the concept of social protection, examines the main problems associated with the implementation of reforms, identifies what measures were taken by the country’s leadership to solve them using new methods and approaches during the period of perestroika. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that through an analytical review of normative legal acts and scientific works related to social transformations during the period of perestroika, priority areas in the field of social policy of the USSR were identified and their impact on the living conditions of the population from 1985 to 1991 was assessed. As a result of the study, it is concluded that these transformations affected the lives of citizens of the USSR, and the results of the reforms carried out at the time of 1991 are given.