August Coup of 1991

August Coup of 1991. The August Coup was a three-day political crisis in the Soviet Union from 19 to 21 August 1991, in which hardline members of the Soviet government and military attempted to seize control from President Mikhail Gorbachev. The self-proclaimed State Committee on the State of Emergency aimed to reverse Gorbachev's perestroika and glasnost reforms and prevent the signing of a new Union Treaty that would have decentralized the Soviet state. The coup's failure, marked by mass public resistance centered in Moscow and the decisive leadership of Russian leader Boris Yeltsin, dramatically accelerated the political processes 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 between Gorbachev and the leaders of several Republics of the Soviet Union, including the RSFSR, Ukrainian SSR, and Byelorussian SSR. This treaty would have transformed the Soviet Union into a much looser federation, granting significant sovereignty to the republics and effectively ending the highly centralized state established under Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. Hardliners within the Politburo, the KGB, the Soviet Armed Forces, and the military–industrial complex viewed this as a fatal step toward the country's breakup. Furthermore, they blamed Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika for severe economic decline, the rise of nationalist movements in the Baltic states and Caucasus, and the loss of the Eastern Bloc after the Revolutions of 1989.

The coup attempt

On 18 August, while Gorbachev was vacationing at his dacha in Foros, Crimea, a delegation of conspirators, including his own chief of staff Valery Boldin, arrived and demanded he either declare a state of emergency or resign. Upon his refusal, he was placed under house arrest. Early on 19 August, state media announced the creation of the State Committee on the State of Emergency (GKChP) and that Vice President Gennady Yanayev was assuming the presidency due to Gorbachev's alleged ill health. The committee deployed Soviet Army units, including the elite Taman Division and Kantemirovskaya Division, and KGB Alpha Group special forces into Moscow, seized control of television and radio centers, and banned most newspapers. The pivotal moment came at the Russian White House, where Boris Yeltsin denounced the coup as illegal, called for a general strike, and famously climbed atop a T-80 tank to address a growing crowd of defenders. Key military commanders, such as General Alexander Lebed of the 106th Guards Airborne Division, refused to obey orders to storm the building.

Key figures and factions

The eight-member State Committee on the State of Emergency included KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov, Minister of Defence Dmitry Yazov, Minister of Internal Affairs Boris Pugo, and Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov. They represented the old guard of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Soviet military, and the security apparatus. Opposing them was the leadership of the RSFSR, led by its popularly elected President Boris Yeltsin, supported by his Vice President Alexander Rutskoy and Leningrad Mayor Anatoly Sobchak. Crucially, senior officers like Air Force Commander Yevgeny Shaposhnikov and the commander of the Soviet Airborne Forces, Colonel-General Pavel Grachev, ultimately sided with Yeltsin. The resistance was also fueled by democratic activists like Yuri Luzhkov and cultural figures such as cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

Domestic and international reactions

Within the Soviet Union, public reaction was mixed but decisive in major cities. In Moscow and Leningrad, hundreds of thousands of citizens heeded Yeltsin's call, building barricades around the White House and facing down military vehicles. The Leningrad City Council, under Mayor Anatoly Sobchak, openly defied the GKChP. However, in many other republics and regions, leadership adopted a wait-and-see approach. Internationally, condemnation was swift. U.S. President George H. W. Bush initially hesitated but soon condemned the coup, as did British Prime Minister John Major and French President François Mitterrand. Key foreign leaders, including German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, expressed support for Yeltsin, whose defiant stance was broadcast globally via networks like CNN.

Aftermath and consequences

The coup collapsed on 21 August after troops defected and the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union refused to endorse the GKChP. Its members were arrested, though Boris Pugo committed suicide. Gorbachev returned to Moscow but his authority was irreparably broken, eclipsed by Yeltsin's newfound prestige. In the immediate aftermath, Yeltsin issued a decree banning the Communist Party of the Soviet Union activities on Russian territory and seizing its assets. The balance of power shifted decisively from the Soviet center to the republics. By December 1991, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus signed the Belovezh Accords, declaring the Soviet Union dissolved and creating the Commonwealth of Independent States. Gorbachev resigned on 25 December, and the Soviet flag was lowered over the Kremlin for the last time on 31 December 1991. Category:1991 in the Soviet Union Category:Coups d'état Category:Dissolution of the Soviet Union of the Soviet Union