Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The August Coup begins when Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev is placed under house arrest while on holiday in the town of Foros, Ukraine.

In August 1991, hardliners of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) attempted to forcibly seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev, who was Soviet president and General Secretary of the CPSU at the time. The coup leaders consisted of top military and civilian officials, including Vice President Gennady Yanayev, who together formed the State Committee on the State of Emergency.

Opposed to Gorbachev's reform program, they were angry at the loss of control over Eastern European states and fearful of the New Union Treaty, which was on the verge of being signed by the Soviet Union (USSR). The treaty was to decentralize much of the central Soviet government's power and distribute it among its fifteen republics.

Boris Yeltsin's demand for more autonomy to the republics opened a window for the plotters to organize the coup. The attempt took place between 19 and 21 August 1991; as a result, the events were referred to as the August Coup.

1991-August-Moscow-2
1991-August-Moscow-2 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Boris Yeltsin 22 August 1991-1
Boris Yeltsin 22 August 1991-1 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
T-80 1991 coup attempt04 (cropped)
T-80 1991 coup attempt04 (cropped) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Thursday morning on Smolenskaya (8000376283)
Thursday morning on Smolenskaya (8000376283) (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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

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Sources and further reading: Wikipedia — 1991 Soviet coup attempt, Dissolution of the Soviet Union, President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev (CC BY-SA). Images: Wikimedia Commons.