August Coup

August Coup. The August Coup was a three-day political crisis in the Soviet Union from 19 to 21 August 1991, in which a group of hardline Communist Party of the Soviet Union leaders attempted to seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev. The plotters, organized as the State Committee on the State of Emergency, aimed to reverse Gorbachev's reform policies and prevent the signing of a new Union Treaty that would have decentralized power. The coup's failure, marked by defiant public resistance led by Boris Yeltsin, dramatically accelerated the political forces that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union by the end of the year.

Background and causes

The immediate catalyst for the coup was the impending signing of the New Union Treaty, a pact negotiated by Mikhail Gorbachev with several Soviet republics including the Russian SFSR and Kazakh SSR. This treaty would have transformed the Soviet Union into a much looser federation, significantly weakening the central authority in Moscow. Hardliners within the Politburo, the KGB, and the Soviet Armed Forces viewed Gorbachev's policies of Glasnost and Perestroika as catastrophic, blaming them for severe economic decline, the loss of Soviet control over Eastern Bloc states like East Germany, and rising nationalist movements in republics such as the Lithuanian SSR and Ukrainian SSR. The plotters feared the treaty would irrevocably dismantle the Communist Party's monopoly on power and the integrity of the state itself.

The coup attempt

In the early hours of 19 August, while Mikhail Gorbachev was under house arrest at his dacha in Foros, Crimea, the plotters announced the creation of the State Committee on the State of Emergency and claimed Gorbachev was ill. TASS and other state media broadcast their manifesto, and troops from the Soviet Army, KGB Alpha Group, and MVD units were deployed to key points in Moscow. The resistance was centered at the Russian White House, the seat of the government of the Russian SFSR, where its popularly elected President, Boris Yeltsin, denounced the coup as illegal. In a defining moment, Yeltsin climbed atop a T-80 tank to address a growing crowd of supporters, an image broadcast worldwide. Key military commanders, including General Alexander Lebed, refused to order an assault on the building, and by 21 August, the coup collapsed as troops withdrew and plotters fled to Crimea.

Key figures and organizations

The eight primary members of the State Committee on the State of Emergency included Vice President Gennady Yanayev, KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov, Minister of Defence Dmitry Yazov, Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov, and Interior Minister Boris Pugo. The main opposition was led by Boris Yeltsin, supported by his Vice President Alexander Rutskoy, Mayor of Moscow Gavriil Popov, and foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev. Crucial military figures who ultimately opposed the coup included General Yevgeny Shaposhnikov of the Soviet Air Forces and the commander of the Soviet Ground Forces, General Vladimir Lobov. The Russian KGB also played a complex role, with some officers loyal to Yeltsin.

International reactions

World leaders largely condemned the coup and expressed support for Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin. U.S. President George H. W. Bush initially hesitated but soon denounced the illegal seizure of power, with British Prime Minister John Major and French President François Mitterrand following suit. Critical support came from leaders like German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who had recently overseen German reunification. The European Community threatened to suspend economic aid. Notably, the People's Republic of China offered tacit support to the plotters, while nations like Poland and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic watched with grave concern, fearing a return to Brezhnev Doctrine-style interventions.

Aftermath and consequences

The coup's failure had immediate and seismic consequences. Mikhail Gorbachev returned to Moscow but his authority was irreparably broken, while Boris Yeltsin emerged as the dominant political figure. Yeltsin swiftly issued decrees banning the Communist Party of the Soviet Union activities on Russian soil and seizing its assets. The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union formally suspended the Party's activities nationwide. By December 1991, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus met at Belavezha to declare the Soviet Union dissolved, forming the Commonwealth of Independent States. Gorbachev resigned on 25 December, and the Soviet flag was lowered over the Kremlin for the last time, marking the end of the Cold War superpower.

Category:1991 in the Soviet Union Category:Coups d'état Category:History of Russia