What was the essence of the acceleration policy?

Acceleration is the slogan proclaimed by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985. It was an integral part of the reform course (glasnost – perestroika – acceleration). The main goal was to accelerate the economic and social development of the country. In fact, the author of the term recognized the lag of the Soviet Union behind the leading developed countries and was a revised version of the old slogan “catch up and overtake”. One of the main directions was the accelerated development of mechanical engineering and heavy industry in general. In 1987, the acceleration program was deemed ineffective, and instead an economic reform was initiated, which involved the development of the private sector and increased autonomy of state-owned enterprises.