One of the most important events in the decline and fall of the USSR was the August Coup of 1991 which saw its Vice President attempt to overthrow its President, Mikhail Gorbachev. It didn't go to well and was hastily planned but the fact that it ended peacefully is frankly nothing short of miraculous.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tenminhistory
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4973164
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/history-matters-store-2


A special thanks to all of these Patrons below, without whom the show wouldn't be possible:

Franco La Bruna
Patrick M.
Kevin Sanders
Stefan Møller
Gregory - The Bittersteel
Ian Jensen
Richard Wolfe
Chris Fatta
anon
sharpie660
D. Mahlik
Dragan
Wold
Qi Xiao
John Garcia
Ariadni Voulgari
Andrew Niedbala
Rod D. Martin
Paul McGee
Bernardo Santos
Christopher Godfrey
Jeannette Baechle
Tristan Kreller
Warren Rudkin
Magdalena Reinberg-Leibel
Danny Anstess
Christopher S Nelson
Chris Hall
Shaun Pullin
Perry Gagne
bas mensink
Alen
James Bisonette Fan #1
Joooooshhhhh
Henry Rabung
Troy Schmidt
Adam Barrett
William Wold
Cap
I’m Not In The Description
Blake Dryad
Lachlan
FF Nelly
Mark Ploegstra
Lim Gilleece
FuzzytheFair
Roman Cascioppo
Jeffrey Schneider
Luke Robinson
Kinfe85
Byzans_Scotorius
Haydn Noble
TooMuchWaterYouDie
MrPalomino
HelloAgainThere
Josh Cornelius
ColmBoyle
Colin Steele
Big Nick
Richard Manklow
Gabriel Lunde
Julian Baumann
Konstantin Bredyuk
João Santos
Donald Weaver
Richard Hartzell
Steve Bonds
Nick Finan
Christine Purvis
Pierre Le Mouel
Seth Reeves
Nathan Perlman
StukaJi86
SirAlpaka
Andrew Miraut

Sources:

Before and After the Abortive Coup in the USSR by Boris L. Gubman

Mass Opposition to the Soviet Putsch of August 1991: Collective Action, Rational Choice, and Democratic Values in the Former Soviet Union by James L. Gibson

Soviet Civil-Military Relations and the August Coup by John W. R. Lepingwell

LESSONS FROM THE 1991 SOVIET COUP by Wendy Varney and Brian Martin

As 1991 was reaching its end, the Soviet Union, the world's second superpower, was in the process of catastrophic political collapse.

This outcome had been fairly apparent for over a year now, and the Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, had tried numerous policies to preserve the USSR.

These included widespread reforms, notably Glasnost, which opened up the press, allowing for criticism of the government, and perestroika, which reformed the internal operations of the USSR notably by instigating economic reforms which allowed private enterprise and foreign investment, something which upset many hardline communists.

Whilst the collapse of communism there was by late 1990 seen as mostly inevitable, the collapse of the state itself wasn't so certain.

In early 1991, as part of Gorbachev's democratic reforms, there was a referendum on whether or not the USSR should be preserved, which was approved by over 3 quarters of the people from these areas.

The other areas had, to use a technical historical term, noped out and didn't take part.

Now, when I say that people voted to preserve the USSR, I don't mean the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but a new state, the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics, which as the name suggests, didn't have to be communist.

Furthermore, a new post was created within the USSR, the president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and in July, Boris Yeltsin was elected to that post, something which upset many hardline communists.

And so, some high-ranking members of the Communist Party, including Vice President Gennady Yenaev and head of the KGB Vladimir Kriuchkov, decided to intervene.

In August of 1991, while Gorbachev was on holiday in Crimea, the plotters leapt into action and placed him under house arrest.

He was asked to resign but he promptly told them no and so they told the country he was seriously ill and unable to lead.

And in response to this, the plotters created the State Committee on the Emergency Situation led by Yanayev as acting president which would run the country in the meantime.

The coup began with tanks rolling into Moscow and politicians who were seen as a threat being quickly arrested, with 1 notable exception, Boris Yeltsin.

The committee quickly shut down all critical newspapers and broadcasted what they were going to do.

They were going to fix the economy, restore the Communist Party to its rightful place, take back control of the parts of the country that wanted to break away, and finally win the Cold War.

Sounds lovely, yet despite this rhetoric, the people running the country didn't have any plans on how to do this except for stop the reforms.

This new leadership was incredibly worrying to the wider Soviet citizenry, and was especially so to the press and anyone who had criticised communism recently, since there was an expectation that the new leaders would begin a purge once they'd cemented their position, an expectation that wasn't entirely without merit since most of the KGB were on board.

Also, the coup had some support from the military, including the Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov, hence the tanks on the streets.

Not all of the military was supportive though, notably the higher-ups in the Air Force were opposed and there was a severe rift across the armed forces.

Military support for the coup didn't stop Soviet citizens from protesting against the change in leadership, and Yeltsin was a notable critic who became a central opponent who called for Gorbachev's restoration.

He was also supported by a sizable part of the Soviet army who together with some civilians formed a barricade outside the White House.

In Lithuania, which had declared independence the year before, Soviet troops were still stationed there and the committee planned for its reintegration into the USSR.

Across the USSR widespread protests and strikes broke out as many politicians, both communist and not, opposed the committee's actions.

Furthermore, Western leaders condemned the coup and halted all cooperation with the USSR.

Within the Soviet Union, the individual republics were split down these lines, and the committee wasn't without some support internationally.

Communist states like Cuba, North Korea and China were supportive of the coup, since they felt that Yanayev and his colleagues were right and they had no interest whatsoever in losing the primary defender of global communism.

Things started to heat up as demonstrations became more incensed and there were some isolated incidents of violence.

This was also the point where some in the committee realised that they weren't going to be successful.

The day was also rounded out by Estonia unilaterally declaring independence, which probably wasn't what the coup leaders were hoping for.

Overnight there was some fighting between soldiers on the side of the committee and those who had sided with Yeltsin, with Yeltsin's troops withstanding the assault.

It was at this point that the rest of the committee realised that they had failed and some of them subsequently fled Moscow.

Yanayev opted to face his fate in Moscow, whereas the rest, barring 1 because, well, went to see Gorbachev in Crimea in order to hopefully not get purged once he was back in charge.

The members of the military which had sided with the committee then switched allegiance and pulled all military forces out of Moscow.

The Supreme Soviet, the Soviet Parliament, then announced that the crisis was over and that Gorbachev was restored as president.

The remaining committee members were quickly rounded up and arrested and order was restored to the streets of Moscow.

There were several reasons for the coup's failure.

The first was Gorbachev's refusal to resign, which robbed Zheneyev of any legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

Another was that the military wasn't entirely on board and politicians like Yeltsin kicked up a fuss.

Yet the biggest reason that the coup failed was the people who took to the streets and stared down armed soldiers to prevent a return to the politics of old.

Gorbachev's changes were popular and the coup's leaders assumed that taking control of the party meant that they could stop them.

Yet, where they miscalculated was that the party was no longer able to override the people and their support for the changes.

The coup effectively doomed the Soviet Union and the Communist Party there, and the USSR itself would only last for another 4 months.

The leaders of the committee were imprisoned, and Yeltsin would go on to become Russia's first president.

The last-ditch attempt to preserve the Soviet system was a failure, and the fact that it didn't spiral into a wider revolutionary conflict is honestly quite amazing.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you for watching with a special thanks to my patrons James Bizonette, John Lucid, A Man of Culture, Danny Maloney, Little Holiday, John Bizghez, Rob Waterhouse, Moe, James Castaneda, Aaron the White, Jordan Longley, Gustav Swann, Marcus Arsner, Rashid Ali, Spinning 3 Plates, Phil da Oink Oink, David Silverman, Maggie Pakskowski, Spencer Lightfoot, Lexi Schwinn, Kelly Moneymaker, Anthony Beckett, Robert Wetzel, Sky Chappell, Marvin Casale, Winston K.

I mean, really, probably just the worst attempt at a coup ever.


Speaker 0: As 1991 was reaching its end, the Soviet Union, the world's second superpower, was in the process of catastrophic political collapse. This outcome had been fairly apparent for over a year now, and the Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, had tried numerous policies to preserve the USSR. These included widespread reforms, notably Glasnost, which opened up the press, allowing for criticism of the government, and perestroika, which reformed the internal operations of the USSR notably by instigating economic reforms which allowed private enterprise and foreign investment, something which upset many hardline communists. Whilst the collapse of communism there was by late 1990 seen as mostly inevitable, the collapse of the state itself wasn't so certain. In early 1991, as part of Gorbachev's democratic reforms, there was a referendum on whether or not the USSR should be preserved, which was approved by over 3 quarters of the people from these areas.

The other areas had, to use a technical historical term, noped out and didn't take part. Now, when I say that people voted to preserve the USSR, I don't mean the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but a new state, the Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics, which as the name suggests, didn't have to be communist. Furthermore, a new post was created within the USSR, the president of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and in July, Boris Yeltsin was elected to that post, something which upset many hardline communists. And so, some high-ranking members of the Communist Party, including Vice President Gennady Yenaev and head of the KGB Vladimir Kriuchkov, decided to intervene. In August of 1991, while Gorbachev was on holiday in Crimea, the plotters leapt into action and placed him under house arrest.

He was asked to resign but he promptly told them no and so they told the country he was seriously ill and unable to lead. And in response to this, the plotters created the State Committee on the Emergency Situation led by Yanayev as acting president which would run the country in the meantime. The Soviet coup had formally begun. The coup began with tanks rolling into Moscow and politicians who were seen as a threat being quickly arrested, with 1 notable exception, Boris Yeltsin. The committee quickly shut down all critical newspapers and broadcasted what they were going to do.

They were going to fix the economy, restore the Communist Party to its rightful place, take back control of the parts of the country that wanted to break away, and finally win the Cold War. Sounds lovely, yet despite this rhetoric, the people running the country didn't have any plans on how to do this except for stop the reforms. This new leadership was incredibly worrying to the wider Soviet citizenry, and was especially so to the press and anyone who had criticised communism recently, since there was an expectation that the new leaders would begin a purge once they'd cemented their position, an expectation that wasn't entirely without merit since most of the KGB were on board. Also, the coup had some support from the military, including the Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov, hence the tanks on the streets. Not all of the military was supportive though, notably the higher-ups in the Air Force were opposed and there was a severe rift across the armed forces.

Military support for the coup didn't stop Soviet citizens from protesting against the change in leadership, and Yeltsin was a notable critic who became a central opponent who called for Gorbachev's restoration. He was also supported by a sizable part of the Soviet army who together with some civilians formed a barricade outside the White House. Not that 1. In Lithuania, which had declared independence the year before, Soviet troops were still stationed there and the committee planned for its reintegration into the USSR. Across the USSR widespread protests and strikes broke out as many politicians, both communist and not, opposed the committee's actions.

Furthermore, Western leaders condemned the coup and halted all cooperation with the USSR. Within the Soviet Union, the individual republics were split down these lines, and the committee wasn't without some support internationally. Communist states like Cuba, North Korea and China were supportive of the coup, since they felt that Yanayev and his colleagues were right and they had no interest whatsoever in losing the primary defender of global communism. Things started to heat up as demonstrations became more incensed and there were some isolated incidents of violence. This was also the point where some in the committee realised that they weren't going to be successful.

The day was also rounded out by Estonia unilaterally declaring independence, which probably wasn't what the coup leaders were hoping for. Overnight there was some fighting between soldiers on the side of the committee and those who had sided with Yeltsin, with Yeltsin's troops withstanding the assault. It was at this point that the rest of the committee realised that they had failed and some of them subsequently fled Moscow. Yanayev opted to face his fate in Moscow, whereas the rest, barring 1 because, well, went to see Gorbachev in Crimea in order to hopefully not get purged once he was back in charge. The members of the military which had sided with the committee then switched allegiance and pulled all military forces out of Moscow.

The Supreme Soviet, the Soviet Parliament, then announced that the crisis was over and that Gorbachev was restored as president. The coup was over. The remaining committee members were quickly rounded up and arrested and order was restored to the streets of Moscow. There were several reasons for the coup's failure. The first was Gorbachev's refusal to resign, which robbed Zheneyev of any legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

Another was that the military wasn't entirely on board and politicians like Yeltsin kicked up a fuss. Yet the biggest reason that the coup failed was the people who took to the streets and stared down armed soldiers to prevent a return to the politics of old. Gorbachev's changes were popular and the coup's leaders assumed that taking control of the party meant that they could stop them. Yet, where they miscalculated was that the party was no longer able to override the people and their support for the changes. The coup effectively doomed the Soviet Union and the Communist Party there, and the USSR itself would only last for another 4 months.

The leaders of the committee were imprisoned, and Yeltsin would go on to become Russia's first president. The last-ditch attempt to preserve the Soviet system was a failure, and the fact that it didn't spiral into a wider revolutionary conflict is honestly quite amazing. I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you for watching with a special thanks to my patrons James Bizonette, John Lucid, A Man of Culture, Danny Maloney, Little Holiday, John Bizghez, Rob Waterhouse, Moe, James Castaneda, Aaron the White, Jordan Longley, Gustav Swann, Marcus Arsner, Rashid Ali, Spinning 3 Plates, Phil da Oink Oink, David Silverman, Maggie Pakskowski, Spencer Lightfoot, Lexi Schwinn, Kelly Moneymaker, Anthony Beckett, Robert Wetzel, Sky Chappell, Marvin Casale, Winston K. Wood, and Izzy? I mean, really, probably just the worst attempt at a coup ever.

See all History Matters transcripts on Youtube

The Last Ditch Attempt to Save the USSR - August Coup of 1991 (Short Animated Documentary)