What was one way the communist coup in the soviet union in 1991 was significant?
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Abstract A book published by the author in 1993 contained a lengthy chapter on the August 1991 coup attempt in the Soviet Union. This article builds on and updates that chapter, making use of a trove of newly available documents and memoirs. The article discusses many aspects of the coup attempt, but it particularly seeks to explain why the coup failed and what the implications were for the Soviet Union. The events of December 1991 that culminated in the dissolution of the Soviet Union were the direct result of changes set in motion by the failed coup. The major state and party institutions that might ordinarily have tried to hold the country together—the Communist Party apparatus, the secret police, the military-industrial complex, the Ministry of Defense, and the state administrative organs—all were compromised by their participation in the coup. As a result, when events pushed the Soviet Union toward collapse there was no way of staving off that outcome. Journal Information The Journal of Cold War Studies features peer-reviewed articles based on archival research in the former Communist world, in Western countries, and in other parts of the globe. Articles in the journal draw on declassified materials and new memoirs to illuminate and raise questions about numerous historical and theoretical concerns: theories of decision-making, deterrence, bureaucratic politics, institutional formation, bargaining, diplomacy, foreign policy conduct, and international relations. Using the latest evidence, the authors subject these theories, and others, to rigorous empirical analysis. The journal also includes an extensive section of reviews of new books pertaining to the Cold War and international politics. The journal is published by the MIT Press for the Harvard Project on Cold War Studies. 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Our readers have come to expect excellence from our products, and they can count on us to maintain a commitment to producing rigorous and innovative information products in whatever forms the future of publishing may bring. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. This is a preview. Log in to get access Journal Information Russian History’s mission is the publication of original articles on the history of Russia from different perspectives: intellectual, economic and military history, domestic, social and class relations, relations with non-Russian peoples, nutrition and health, all possible events that had an influence on Russia. Publisher Information BRILL, founded in 1683, is a publishing house with a strong international focus. BRILL is renowned for its publications in the following subject areas; Asian Studies, Ancient Near East & Egypt, Biblical Studies & Religious Studies, Classical Studies, Medieval & Early Modern Studies, Middle East & Islamic Studies. BRILL's mainly English language publications include book series, individual monographs and encyclopaedias as well as journals. Publications are increasingly becoming available in electronic format (CD-ROM and/or online editions).BRILL is proud to work with a broad range of scholars and authors and to serve its many customers throughout the world. Throughout its existence the company has been honored with many awards which recognise BRILL's contribution to science, publishing and international trade. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hardline communists opposed to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms staged a coup in August 1991, but the putsch failed two days later and ultimately hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union. Following are some facts about the botched putsch. WHAT WAS THE COUP?The coup was a plot by hardline members of the ruling Communist Party to take control of the Soviet Union and stop Gorbachev’s “perestroika” program of political and economic reforms, which threatened the break-up of the country created after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The coup plotters hoped to prevent the signing of a new union treaty which was to decentralize much of the Soviet government’s power to the Soviet Union’s constituent republics. WHO WAS INVOLVED?The conspirators included Soviet Vice President Gennady Yanayev, KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov and Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov as well as Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov and Interior Minister Boris Pugo. Others involved were Valery Boldin, the head of Gorbachev’s secretariat, Oleg Baklanov, the deputy head of the Soviet Defense Council, and Oleg Shenin, a Communist Party Central Committee secretary. They were joined by Deputy Defense Minister Valentin Varennikov and two others, Vasily Starodubtsev and Alexander Tizyakov, were part of a state committee intended to oversee a planned state of emergency. HOW WAS THE COUP IMPLEMENTED?Gorbachev went on holiday to his dacha, or country residence, in Foros in Crimea on August 4, 1991. The conspirators met in Moscow to decide on a plan of action. Baklanov, Boldin, Shenin and Varennikov flew to Foros and demanded that Gorbachev declare a state of emergency or resign and name Yanayev acting president to enable them to “restore order.” Gorbachev did not comply but was confined to his dacha and the hardliners issued a statement on August 19 saying they were saving the Soviet Union from a “national catastrophe” and Gorbachev was now “resting” to get his health back. WHY DID IT FAIL?The coup was opposed by thousands of people who protested outside the Russian Soviet republic’s parliament building, the White House, in Moscow. Resistance was led by Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who climbed onto a tank outside the White House to appeal to the army not to turn against the people and called for a general strike. The coup was poorly planned -- the leaders who were to oppose the events were not rounded up and communications were kept open. Foreign leaders including U.S. President George Bush condemned the coup. Three men were killed during disturbances but the security forces vacillated and ultimately did not use force to disperse the protesters outside the White House. HOW DID THE COUP END?By August 21 the coup had failed. Troops withdrew from Moscow and Gorbachev was able to fly back to Moscow, although he looked badly shaken by the experience. The coup leaders were arrested but Pugo and his wife later committed suicide. The conspirators were eventually tried for treason but were offered an amnesty in 1994. All accepted except Varennikov, who insisted on facing trial and was later acquitted. WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE COUP?Many historians say the coup achieved the opposite of what the plotters intended and hastened the demise of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev resigned as general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party on August 24 and Yeltsin banned the party’s activities in Russia on November 6. The leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus created the Commonwealth of Independent States on December 8 and annulled the 1922 treaty that had established the Soviet Union. Gorbachev resigned as Soviet president on December 25 and the Soviet Union officially ceased to exist the next day. for-phone-onlyfor-tablet-portrait-upfor-tablet-landscape-upfor-desktop-upfor-wide-desktop-up What significant event happened in the former Soviet Union in 1991?The unsuccessful August 1991 coup against Gorbachev sealed the fate of the Soviet Union. Planned by hard-line Communists, the coup diminished Gorbachev's power and propelled Yeltsin and the democratic forces to the forefront of Soviet and Russian politics.
What was a result of the Soviet Union breaking up in 1991?The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the process of internal disintegration within the Soviet Union (USSR) which resulted in the end of the country's and its federal government's existence as a sovereign state, thereby resulting in its constituent republics gaining full sovereignty on 26 December 1991.
How did the Soviet Union fall in 1991 quizlet?Last, in the Soviet Union, the failed August Coup in 1991 led to the end of the Communist party in USSR. All of these events led to the end of communism and the making of a democratic Russia.
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