There is one more year in the history of the Russian state, which can be called revolutionary. When the crisis in the country escalated to the limit, and Mikhail Gorbachev could no longer influence even his closest associates, and in every way he tried to resolve the current situation in the state by force, and the people themselves chose who to give their sympathies to, the coup of 1991 occurred.
Old leaders of the state
Many leaders of the CPSU, who remained committed to conservative management methods, realized that the development of perestroika gradually led to the loss of their power, but they remained strong enough to thwart market reform of the Russian economy. By this they tried to prevent the economic crisis.
Nevertheless, these leaders were no longer so authoritative as to impede the democratic movement by persuasion methods. Therefore, the only way out of the situation that seemed most possible for them was to declare a state of emergency. No one then expected that the 1991 coup would begin in connection with these events.
The ambiguous position of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, or the removal of the leadership
Some conservative figures even tried to put pressure on Mikhail Gorbachev, who had to maneuver between the old leadership and representatives of the democratic forces that were in his immediate circle. These are Yakovlev and Shevardnadze. This unstable position of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev led to the fact that he began to gradually lose the support of both sides. And soon, information about the upcoming putsch began to penetrate the press.
From April to July, Mikhail Gorbachev prepared the treaty, dubbed “Novo-Ogaryovsky,” with the help of which he intended to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union. He intended to transfer the bulk of the powers to the authorities of the Union republics. On July 29, Mikhail Sergeyevich met with Nursultan Nazarbayev and Boris Yeltsin. It discussed in detail the main parts of the agreement, as well as the upcoming removal from office of many conservative leaders. And this became known to the KGB. Thus, the events were getting closer and closer to the period that in the history of the Russian state began to be called the "August putsch of 1991".
Conspirators and their requirements
Naturally, the leadership of the CPSU was concerned about the decisions of Mikhail Sergeyevich. And during his vacation, she decided to take advantage of the situation using force methods. In a kind of conspiracy was attended by many famous personalities. This is Vladimir Kryuchkov, who at that time was the chairman of the KGB, Gennady Ivanovich Yanaev, Dmitry Timofeevich Yazov, Valentin Sergeyevich Pavlov, Boris Karlovich Pugo and many others who organized the 1991 coup.
The State Emergency Committee on August 18 sent to Mikhail Sergeyevich, who was resting in the Crimea, a group representing the interests of the conspirators. And they presented their demands to him: to declare a state of emergency in the state. And when Mikhail Gorbachev refused, they surrounded his residence and disconnected all types of communications.
The interim government, or expectations did not materialize
In the early morning of August 19, about 800 units of armored vehicles were escorted into the capital of Russia, accompanied by an army of 4 thousand people. In all the media it was announced that the State Emergency Committee was created, and it was to him that all the powers to govern the country were transferred. On this day, people waking up, turning on their televisions, could see only the endless broadcast of the famous ballet called Swan Lake. This was the morning when the August 1991 coup began.
The people responsible for the plot claimed that Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was seriously ill and temporarily unable to rule the state, and therefore his powers passed to Yanaev, who was vice president. They hoped that the people, already tired of perestroika, would take the side of the new government, but the press conference organized by them, where Gennady Yanaev spoke, did not make the proper impression.
Yeltsin and his supporters
The 1991 coup that began did not live up to the expectations of the GKChP organizers. People did not take their side. Many considered their actions illegal. Moreover, on August 19 at a rally held near the White House, Yeltsin addressed the people. He announced that the situation in the state that led to the 1991 coup was a coup.
A photograph of Boris Nikolaevich taken at the time of his speech to people was published in many newspapers even in Western countries. The opinion of Boris Yeltsin was in agreement with several officials who fully supported his position.
Putch 1991. Briefly about the events that occurred on August 20 in Moscow
A huge number of Muscovites took to the streets on August 20. All of them demanded to dissolve the GKChP. The White House, where Boris Nikolaevich and his supporters were, was surrounded by defenders (or, as they were called, resisting the coup). They built barricades and surrounded the building, not wanting the old order to return.
Among them there were a lot of native Muscovites and almost the entire color of the intelligentsia. Even the famous Mstislav Rostropovich flew specially from the United States to support his compatriots. August 1991 putsch, the reasons for which is the unwillingness of the conservative leadership to voluntarily give up their powers, rallied a huge number of people. Most countries supported those who defended the White House. And the events were broadcast abroad by all the leading television companies.
The failure of the conspiracy and the return of the president
The demonstration of such mass disobedience caused the putschists to decide to storm the White House, which they appointed at three in the morning. This terrible event entailed more than one victim. But overall the coup failed. Generals, soldiers, and even most of the Alpha fighters refused to shoot ordinary citizens. The conspirators were arrested, and the President safely returned to the capital, canceling absolutely all the orders of the Emergency Committee. So ended the August coup of 1991.
But these few days have greatly changed not only the capital, but the whole country. Thanks to these events, a radical change occurred in the history of many states. The Soviet Union ceased to exist, and the political forces of the state changed their alignment. As soon as the putsch of 1991 ended, on August 22, rallies again took place in Moscow, representing the country's democratic movement. On them people carried the banners of the new tricolor state flag. Boris Nikolayevich asked forgiveness from the relatives of all those who died during the siege of the White House, since he could not prevent these tragic events. But in general, a festive atmosphere remained.
The reasons for the failure of the coup, or the final collapse of communist power
The putsch-1991 ended. The reasons that led to his failure are fairly obvious. First of all, the majority of people living in the Russian state did not want to return in times of stagnation. Distrust towards the CPSU began to be expressed very strongly. Other reasons are the indecisive actions of the conspirators themselves. And, on the contrary, quite aggressive on the part of the democratic forces, represented by Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin, who received support not only from the numerous masses of the Russian people, but also from Western countries.
The 1991 coup had not only tragic consequences, but also brought significant changes to the country. He made it impossible to preserve the Soviet Union, and also prevented the further spread of the power of the CPSU. Thanks to the decree signed by Boris Nikolaevich on the suspension of its activities, after some time all Komsomol and communist organizations throughout the state were dissolved. And on November 6, another decree finally banned the activities of the CPSU.
The consequences of the tragic August coup
The conspirators, or representatives of the State Emergency Committee, as well as those who actively supported their positions, were immediately arrested. Some of them committed suicide during the investigation. The putsch in 1991 claimed several lives of ordinary citizens who defended the building of the White House. The titles of Heroes of the Soviet Union were awarded to these people . And their names forever entered the history of the Russian state. These are Dmitry Komar, Ilya Krichevsky and Vladimir Usov - representatives of Moscow youth who stood in the way of moving armored vehicles.
The events of that period forever crossed out the era of communist rule in the country. The collapse of the Soviet Union became apparent, and the main masses fully supported the position of democratic forces. Such an impact was exerted on the state by the coup. August 1991 can be safely considered the moment that sharply turned the history of the Russian state in a completely different direction. It was during this period that the dictatorship was overthrown by the masses, and the choice of the majority was on the side of democracy and freedom. Russia has entered a new period of its development.