1991 Patch: Causes and Consequences

There is one more year in the history of the Russian state, which can be called revolutionary. When the crisis situation in the country was heated to the limit, and Mikhail Gorbachev could no longer influence even his closest surroundings, and he tried in every possible way to resolve the situation in the state by force, and the people themselves chose whom to give their sympathies, there was a coup 1991.

The old leaders of the state

Many leaders of the CPSU, who remained adherents of conservative management, realized that the development of perestroika gradually leads to the loss of their power, but they remain still strong enough to thwart the market reform of the Russian economy. This they tried to prevent the economic crisis.

And yet, these leaders were not so authoritative as to persuade them to obstruct the democratic movement. Therefore, the only way out of the current situation, which seemed to them most possible for them, was the declaration of a state of emergency. No one then expected that the 1991 putsch would begin in connection with these events.

The ambiguous position of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, or the Elimination of leadership

Some conservative figures even tried to exert pressure on Mikhail Gorbachev, who had to maneuver between the old leadership and representatives of the democratic forces that were in his closest circle. This is Yakovlev and Shevardnadze. This unstable position of Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev led to the fact that he gradually began to lose the support of both sides. And soon the press began to penetrate information about the impending putsch.

From April to July, Mikhail Gorbachev prepared a treaty, called "Novo-Ogarevsky," with which he intended to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union. He intended to transfer most of his 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 forthcoming removal of many conservative leaders from their posts. And it became known to the KGB. Thus, the events more and more approached the period that in the history of the Russian state began to be called "the August putsch of 1991".

The conspirators and their demands

Naturally, the leadership of the CPSU was concerned about the decisions of Mikhail Sergeyevich. And during his vacation decided to take advantage of the situation with the use of force. A kind of conspiracy involved many famous personalities. This is Vladimir Kryuchkov, who at that time was the chairman of the KGB, Gennady Ivanovich Yanaev, Dmitry Timofeyevich Yazov, Valentin Sergeyevich Pavlov, Boris Karlovich Pugo and many others who organized the 1991 putsch.

GKChP August 18 sent to Mikhail Sergeyevich, who rested in the Crimea, a group representing the interests of the conspirators. And they presented their demands to him: declare a state of emergency in the state. And when Mikhail Gorbachev refused, he surrounded his residence and disconnected all types of communication.

The Provisional Government, or Expectations, did not materialize

In the early morning of August 19, about 800 units of armored vehicles were introduced to the Russian capital, accompanied by a force of 4,000 men. In all mass media, it was announced that the Emergency Committee was created, and it was to him that he transferred all the powers to manage the country. On this day, waking people, including their TVs, could see only the endless translation of the famous ballet called Swan Lake. This was the morning when the August 1991 putsch began.

The people responsible for the plot claimed that Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was seriously ill and temporarily unable to manage 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 Yanayev spoke, did not make a proper impression.

Yeltsin and his supporters

The 1991 coup started did not justify the expectations of the organizers of the Emergency Committee. People did not take their side. Many considered their actions illegal. Moreover, on August 19, at a rally that was held near the White House, Yeltsin addressed the people. He announced that the situation that had developed in the state and entailed the putsch-1991 was a revolution.

Photo of Boris Nikolayevich, made at the time of the speech in front of people, was published in many newspapers, even Western countries. With the opinion of Boris Yeltsin was agreed by several officials who fully supported his position.

Putch 1991. Briefly about the events that took place on August 20 in Moscow

A huge number of Muscovites took to the streets on August 20. All of them demanded the dissolution of the Emergency Committee. The White House, where Boris Nikolayevich was and his supporters, was surrounded by defenders (or, as they were called, resisting putschists). 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. The August putsch-1991, whose reasons - the reluctance of the conservative leadership to voluntarily part with their powers, rallied a huge number of people. Most countries supported those who defended the White House. And the events that took place broadcast all the leading television companies abroad.

The failure of the conspiracy and the return of the president

The demonstration of such a mass disobedience caused the putschists to decide on the storming of the White House building, which they appointed at three o'clock in the morning. This terrible event entailed more than one victim. But in general, the coup failed. Generals, soldiers and even most of the Alfa fighters refused to shoot ordinary citizens. The conspirators were arrested, and the President returned safely to the capital, abolishing absolutely all orders of the State Emergency Committee. Thus ended the August 1991 putsch.

But these few days have greatly changed not only the capital, but the whole country. Thanks to these events, a radical change took place 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 was over, rallies were held in Moscow on August 22, representing the democratic movement of the country. On them people carried the cloths of a new tricolor state flag. Boris Nikolaevich asked the relatives of all the victims of the siege of the White House to forgive, since he could not prevent these tragic events. But in general, the festive atmosphere was preserved.

The reasons for the failure of the coup, or the final collapse of communist power

The putch-1991 ended. The reasons that led to his failure are quite obvious. First of all, most people living in the Russian state no longer wanted to return to the times of stagnation. Mistrust of the CPSU began to be expressed very strongly. Other reasons are the hesitant actions of the conspirators themselves. And, on the contrary, quite aggressive from the democratic forces, represented by Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin, who was supported not only by the numerous masses of the Russian people, but also by the countries of the west.

The 1991 patch 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 on the suspension of its activities signed by Boris Nikolayevich, all Komsomol and Communist organizations were dissolved all over the country after a while. And on November 6 the next resolution finally banned the activities of the CPSU.

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 during the investigation committed suicide. Putch in 1991 claimed several lives of ordinary citizens who rose to defend the White House building. These people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And their names have forever entered the history of the Russian state. These are Dmitry Komar, Ilya Krichevsky and Vladimir Usov - representatives of the Moscow youth who stood in the way of moving armored vehicles.

The events of that period for ever erased the era of communist rule in the country. The disintegration of the Soviet Union became evident, and the mainstream masses fully supported the positions of the democratic forces. Such influence 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 popular masses, and the choice of the majority was on the side of democracy and freedom. Russia entered a new period of its development.