From Gorbachev to Yeltsin: how Putin's beloved Soviet Union fell apart

[jw5]

The USSR did not yield​

Yet, despite the crisis, the Velvet Revolution, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the birth of the first non-communist government in Poland, at the beginning of 1990, the USSR still did not seem to show signs of abating.
(Pictured: A woman reads a copy of Royalty Magazine in a conference room during Princess Anne's visit to Moscow in 1990)

 

[jw5]

The malaise and the crisis​

But the malaise would not take long to manifest itself, mainly due to the re-emergence of ethnic nationalism in the Soviet republics. The tipping point came between 1990 and 1991.

 

[jw5]

The two-year period '90 -'91​

In this period, the three Baltic republics and Georgia declared their sovereignty. They were followed by Russia, within which a faction, led by Boris Yeltsin, began to move parallel to the official one.

 

[jw5]

Lithuania​

The first of the Soviet republics to declare themselves independent was Lithuania in March 1990. The central government reacted with economic sanctions, but to no avail. The country had always felt culturally and politically foreign to the Soviet Union.

 

[jw5]

The Vilnius massacre​

In early 1991, Gorbachev's descent towards authoritarianism began: he ordered the Soviet army to shoot Lithuanian protesters in what is known as the Vilnius massacre. There were many dead and wounded.
In the photo: Mugshot of the prisoners of the former KGB prison, now a genocide museum in Vilnius

 

[jw5]

Latvia and Estonia​

In Moscow, a huge crowd protested against the repression. Latvia and Estonia declared themselves independent in solidarity with the victims, following the Lithuanian example.

 

[jw5]

The Referendum on the preservation of the USSR​

It was now clear how the movements of history were leading to the breakup of the Soviet Union. In what appeared to be a last-ditch effort to maintain the status quo, Gorbachev called a referendum on the preservation of the USSR. It seemed to be a success (the "yes" won with about 78% of the vote).

 

[jw5]

The boycott
But was it really a success? In reality, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, and the three Baltic republics decided to boycott it and not participate in the vote. The signal they were sending was unmistakable: their desire was independence.

Pictured: Boris Yeltsin, center, in Armenia in 1991

 

[jw5]

The rise of Yeltsin​

Thus began the negotiations between Moscow and the individual republics: to save the USSR, it was impossible to ignore the autonomist aspirations. Indeed, radical nationalism had begun to make its voice heard even within Russia. And there was the figure of a new leader on the horizon: Boris Yeltsin.

 

[jw5]

The standoff between Gorbachev and Yeltsin​

In the tumultuous history of those years, Gorbachev and Yeltsin had become the two protagonists of a tug-of-war between two forces: those of radical independence and those aimed at preserving the status quo.

 

[jw5]

Gorbachev forcibly detained in Crimea​

Gorbachev's negotiations led to the signing of a treaty that would sanction a less centralized community made up of independent Soviet states. Still, on August 18, 1991, he was forcibly detained with his family in his residence in Foros, Crimea.

 

[jw5]

The coup d'état​

In a final attempt to save the Soviet system, the Conservatives were attempting a coup d'état with the support of some senior officials: they intended to oust Gorbachev and thus save the USSR.

 

[jw5]

The failure of the 'August Coup'​

What happened was just the opposite: the coup, the so-called 'August Coup,' did nothing but accelerate the breakup of the Soviet Union and allow Yeltsin to gain more and more power.

 

[jw5]

Fake news​

In the aftermath of Gorbachev's arrest, various members of the Soviet government, including Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov and Vice President Gennadiy Janaev, declared, together with KGB head Vladimir Kryuckov, that, for health reasons, Gorbachev could not continue in office as president of the Soviet Union. The vice president would overtake Gorbachev's duties.

 

[jw5]

The army refused to open fire on the demonstrators​

Then Moscow was invaded by the army and special troops who wanted to occupy the city militarily. However, the people's reaction was not long in coming: the tanks were literally stopped by thousands of people who took to the streets to block them.

 

[jw5]

Yeltsin incites the people​

On June 12, 1991, Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian Republic, and he urged the citizens to fight for freedom. The army refused to open fire on the demonstrators and the "August Coup" failed miserably. The Russian flag becomes a symbol.

 

[gingerlyn]

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Yeltsin incites the people​

On June 12, 1991, Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian Republic, and he urged the citizens to fight for freedom. The army refused to open fire on the demonstrators and the "August Coup" failed miserably. The Russian flag becomes a symbol.

Very soon this will happen again in Moscow

 

[jw5]

Independence​

On August 24, the tanks withdrew from the streets of Moscow, and Yeltsin now had the reins of the country in his hands. The declarations of independence of the other republics followed quickly: Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan.

 

[jw5]

The Commonwealth of Independent States​

On 8 December 1991, as president of Russia, Yeltsin himself signed the Belaveža Agreement with the presidents of Ukraine and Belarus, which sanctions the absolute disintegration of the USSR and the birth of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), open to all former Soviet republics.

 

[jw5]

Going back in time?​

Is it a coincidence that the same venue in Belarus was chosen for the negotiations relating to the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict, where the end of the USSR was decreed on 8 December 1991? Could Putin's dream be to cancel this historic event?