1991, the USSR. Looking back and trying to give a historical assessment of the events of 1991, we can safely say that our country was ruined according to the same scenarios that were used in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Egypt and now in Ukraine. Fortunately, many of the participants in the collapse of the USSR set forth their memoirs in memoirs. It is well known that winners write history. In this article, we will try to get acquainted with other points of view on the events that led to the emergence of such a document as the 1991 Belovezhskaya Accord.
Event history
In 1985, a young, confident politician Mikhail Gorbachev came to power. After all the previous elderly secretaries-general, the people reacted to him very positively. But later, his reforms drove the country into an economic, political, and even cultural crisis. The stratification of the population in the country, the emergence of a new class of society - the oligarchy, became increasingly noticeable. In many republics, nationalist sentiments intensified, and all at once suddenly wanted independence.
Gorbachev: a hero or a traitor?
Is Gorbachev to blame for the 1991 Bialowieza Agreement ? The budget of the USSR was largely based on the sale of resources. The country is increasingly bogged down in loans. Gradually, Gorbachev made a choice - either he implements reforms that are beneficial to the United States, and receives loans from the IMF for this, or acts in the interests of his country. He chose the first option. The point of view that he came to power with the help of the USA is also very popular. Initially, he had little chance, since most members of the Politburo were inclined toward the candidacies of Romanov and Grishin. They could not agree for a long time, so there were several meetings. As a result, "suddenly" stopped at Gorbachev. Be that as it may, but he led the country to the fateful line, after which there was no return.
Influence from the outside on the dissolution of the USSR
Dramatically in many republics, local referenda on independence were held. Doesn’t resemble anything? Ukraine, for example? The sharp appearance of a handful of marginals demanding independence with balaclavas is not alarming? Mikhail Gorbachev tried to sit on two chairs at the same time. On the one hand, the country needs loans, and they can be obtained by implementing the imposed reforms, and on the other hand, he wanted the best for the USSR. This is evidenced by the events of November 1990 and the decision of Gorbachev to hold an all-Union referendum in order to put in place the presumptuous nationalists.
In November 1990, leaders of the three Baltic republics arrived in Paris to sign the Charter of a United Europe. And only thanks to the protest of Gorbachev they were expelled from the hall. Therefore, it is impossible to say with 100% certainty that the blame for the dissolution of the USSR lies entirely with him and he betrayed his homeland. Another question is on what basis were these leaders generally allowed to attend the OSCE meeting. All this says that the situation was heating up artificially. Who benefits from this?
Provocations in the Baltic States
Taking advantage of the fact that in the winter the United States focused entirely on the military operation against Iraq, under the pressure of Kryuchkov, Pugo and Yazov, Gorbachev gave the green light to the suppression of separatist actions in the Baltic states. And on January 13, 1991, the Lithuanians captured the television center in Vilnius and erected barricades. Alpha Special Forces was ordered to storm. Killed 13 "civilians" in the balaclava. A picture was broadcast on all world channels of how the military are killing peaceful unarmed residents who simply want independence and live in Europe. A week later, the situation repeated in Riga. And in April, R. Nixon came to Moscow to “inspect”. Apparently, Gorbachev stopped arranging the Western masters - B.N. Yeltsin was introduced into the game. Real bullying began. The confrontation between Yeltsin and Gorbachev reached incredible severity.
Consent to the creation of the CIS
Under US pressure, Gorbachev had to agree to federalize the USSR and create the Commonwealth of Independent States. He began to prepare a corresponding treaty (in consequence of this treaty will be the Bialowieza Agreement of 1991), which was the last straw for the power structures of the USSR. The August coup broke out in the country . GKChP was created. It is worth noting that on TV all three days of the coup broadcast the ballet.
August 1991 events
August 19-21, 1991. The history is written by the winners, because it is quite natural that the information entered into the textbooks as an attempt of a coup d'etat. Although in reality it was an attempt to prevent the collapse of the country. Kryuchkov, Pugo, Boldin, Shenin, Baklanov, Pavlov and Yazov tried by force to seize power into their own hands. By removing the president, they wanted to forcibly subjugate the republics that longed for independence. Thus, they would preserve the integrity of the country. But few people know that the signing of an agreement on the creation of the CIS scheduled for August 20 suited the leaders of all 9 separatist-minded republics and kept the USSR in a state of integrity.
The whole truth was that Gorbachev was able to negotiate with them. On the one hand, agreeing to the creation of the CIS, Mikhail Gorbachev went on about the United States, and on the other hand, the republics received the right to independence, but as part of the federation. The main issues Moscow would continue to solve for them. For a number of reasons, this scenario did not suit many. Gorbachev and his family were put under house arrest in the Crimea (he was resting at sea at that moment).
How a hero was made from Yeltsin
On August 21, the assault on the White House in the Kremlin was being prepared. Planned power capture of Yeltsin and his transfer to Zavidovo. But “suddenly” there was a huge number of people eager to cover it with their bodies. The White House was surrounded by a crowd of approximately 50,000 people. Think about it! Suddenly, such a population rose and went to the Kremlin. They drank and fed there for free, distributed tea pies, and prepared food on an industrial scale.
Naturally, there were victims. Bloody. Several people with Molotov cocktails (civilians) fell under the tanks. Until now, it’s not entirely clear for what purpose tanks were brought into Red Square. They are effective only in open areas. And the military, who made the coup, could not know this. Or it was just an attempt at bullying. Of course, Western correspondents were on duty, and you can easily imagine the picture on the air. Defense Minister Yazov flinched and gave the command to withdraw troops from Moscow. On this putsch ended, and his instigators found themselves in jail.
This case clearly shows that literate and far-sighted politicians are rarely obtained from the military. The most interesting thing is that after the release, Gorbachev made the first calls to B. Yeltsin and George W. Bush. This also says a lot. After these events, he changed a lot. His political authority has fallen and few people have already considered him. He looked pale against the backdrop of a hyped image of a confident, energetic B. Yeltsin.
Bialowieza Agreement
Having lost confidence in Gorbachev, the Union republics began to massively accept declarations of independence and secession from the USSR. Now it was not possible to unite them into a federation. And the consequence of all this was the Belovezhskaya agreement of 1991, signed on December 8 . In other words, an agreement was signed on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The signature was not set by Gorbachev, but by Yeltsin.
And while Gorbachev initially advocated the federalization of republics within the CIS, Yeltsin gave them complete independence with his signature. By this, he satisfied the desire of Western partners to bleed the country. The Bialowieza Agreement of 1991 announced that the Union of Free Socialist Republics ceased to exist.