This Day in History: 19 August 2020
19 August 1991
29 years ago, today, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was placed under house arrest at his holiday home in the Crimea, during a coup by high-ranking members of his own government, military and police. The hard-line elements within Gorbachev's own administration, as well as the heads of the Soviet army and the KGB, pressured Gorbachev to resign. He refused, but the coup leaders had another plan. They claimed that Gorbachev was ill, and declared a state of emergency, before attempting to take control of the government. After thousands took to the streets to protest the coup, prompted by Boris Yeltsin, the coup collapsed after only three days.
After becoming secretary of the Communist Party in 1985, and Soviet President in 1988, Gorbachev had pursued many reforms of the Soviet system. He combined 'perestroika', meaning restructuring the economy, and 'glasnost', meaning openness in diplomacy to greatly improve Soviet relations with the west. However, within the country, Gorbachev was heavily criticised, as many thought he was driving the Soviet Union towards its downfall. After the coup had fallen, the Communist Party was gradually dissolved. The Soviet Union also fell, and Gorbachev resigned in December.
Want to find out more about the 1991 August coup? Click here for a video with more information, or here for more about the life and presidency of Gorbachev.
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