Establishment of the State Committee for the State of Emergency. Gkchp - what does it mean

There is another year in the history of the Russian state that can be called revolutionary. When the country escalated to the limit, and Mikhail Gorbachev could no longer influence even his inner circle, and they tried in every possible way to resolve the current situation in the state by force, and the people themselves chose whom to give their sympathy to, the 1991 putsch took place.

old state leaders

Many leaders of the CPSU, who remained committed to conservative methods of government, realized that the development of perestroika was gradually leading to the loss of their power, but they were still strong enough to prevent the market reform of the Russian economy. By this they tried to prevent the economic crisis.

And yet, these leaders were no longer so authoritative as to impede the democratic movement by persuasion. Therefore, the only way out of the current situation, which seemed to them the most possible, was to declare a state of emergency. No one then expected that the 1991 putsch of the year would begin in connection with these events.

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

Some conservative figures even tried to put pressure on Mikhail Gorbachev, who had to maneuver between the old leadership and representatives of the democratic forces in his inner circle. These are Yakovlev and Shevardnadze. This unstable position of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev led to the fact that he began to gradually lose the support of both sides. And soon information about the upcoming putsch began to penetrate into the press.

From April to July, Mikhail Gorbachev prepared a treaty, called "Novo-Ogarevsky", with the help of which he was going to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union. He intended to transfer the main part of the powers to the authorities of the Union republics. On July 29, Mikhail Sergeevich met with Nursultan Nazarbayev and Boris Yeltsin. It discussed in detail the main parts of the agreement, as well as the upcoming removal from their posts of many conservative leaders. And this became known to the KGB. Thus, the events were increasingly approaching the period that in the history of the Russian state began to be called "the August putsch of 1991."

Conspirators and their demands

Naturally, the leadership of the CPSU was concerned about the decisions of Mikhail Sergeevich. And during his vacation, she decided to take advantage of the situation with the use of force. Many famous personalities took part in a kind of conspiracy. This is who at that time was the chairman of the KGB, Gennady Ivanovich Yanaev, Dmitry Timofeevich Yazov, Valentin Sergeevich Pavlov, Boris Karlovich Pugo and many others who organized the 1991 putsch.

On August 18, the GKChP sent a group representing the interests of the conspirators to Mikhail Sergeyevich, who was resting in the Crimea. And they presented him with their demands: to declare a state of emergency in the state. And when Mikhail Gorbachev refused, they surrounded his residence and cut off all types of communications.

Provisional Government, or Expectations Not Justified

In the early morning of August 19, about 800 armored vehicles were brought into the Russian capital, accompanied by an army of 4,000 people. It was announced in all the media that the State Emergency Committee had been created, and it was to him that all the powers to govern the country were transferred. On this day, waking up people, turning on their TVs, could only see an endless broadcast of the famous ballet called "Swan Lake". This was the morning when the August 1991 coup began.

The people responsible for the conspiracy claimed that Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was seriously ill and temporarily unable to govern the state, and therefore his powers were transferred 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 they organized, where Gennady Yanaev spoke, did not make the proper impression.

Yeltsin and his supporters

A photograph of Boris Nikolayevich, taken at the moment of speaking to people, was published in many newspapers, even in Western countries. Several officials agreed with Boris Yeltsin's opinion and fully supported his position.

Putsch 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 to dissolve the GKChP. The White House, where Boris Nikolayevich and his supporters were located, was surrounded by defenders (or, as they were called, resisting the putschists). They set up barricades and surrounded the building, not wanting the old order to return.

Among them were a lot of native Muscovites and almost the entire color of the intelligentsia. Even the famous Mstislav Rostropovich flew in from the United States on purpose to support his compatriots. The August putsch-1991, the reasons for which are the unwillingness of the conservative leadership to voluntarily give up their powers, rallied a huge number of people. Most countries supported those who defended the White House. And the ongoing events were broadcast abroad by all leading television companies.

The failure of the plot and the return of the President

The demonstration of such massive disobedience caused the putschists to decide to storm the White House building, which they appointed for three in the morning. This terrible event resulted in more than one victim. But on the whole, the coup failed. Generals, soldiers, and even most of the Alpha fighters refused to shoot ordinary citizens. The conspirators were arrested, and the President safely returned to the capital, canceling absolutely all orders of the State Emergency Committee. Thus ended the August putsch of 1991.

But these few days have greatly changed not only the capital, but the whole country. Thanks to these events occurred in the history of many states. ceased to exist, and the political forces of the state changed their alignment. As soon as the putsch of 1991 ended, on August 22 rallies were again held in Moscow, representing the democratic movement of the country. On them, people carried panels of the new tricolor national flag. Boris Nikolaevich asked the relatives of all those who died during the siege of the White House for forgiveness, as he could not prevent these tragic events. But in general, the festive atmosphere was preserved.

Reasons for the failure of the coup, or the final collapse of communist power

The 1991 putsch is over. The reasons that led to its failure are fairly obvious. First of all, most people living in the Russian state no longer wanted to return to the times of stagnation. Distrust of the CPSU began to be expressed very strongly. Other reasons are the indecisive actions of the conspirators themselves. And, on the contrary, quite aggressive on the part of the democratic forces represented by Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin, who received support not only from the numerous masses of the Russian people, but also from Western countries.

The putsch of 1991 had not only tragic consequences, but also brought significant changes to the country. It made the preservation of the Soviet Union impossible, and also prevented the further expansion of the power of the CPSU. Thanks to the decree signed by Boris Nikolayevich on the suspension of its activities, after some time all Komsomol and communist organizations throughout the state were dissolved. And on November 6, another decree 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 committed suicide during the investigation. The putsch of 1991 claimed the lives of ordinary citizens who stood up to defend the White House building. These people were awarded titles. And their names entered the history of the Russian state forever. These are Dmitry Komar, Ilya Krichevsky and Vladimir Usov - representatives of Moscow youth who got in the way of moving armored vehicles.

The events of that period forever crossed out the era of communist rule in the country. The collapse of the Soviet Union became obvious, and the main public masses fully supported the positions of the democratic forces. The coup that took place had such an impact on the state. August 1991 can safely be considered the moment that abruptly turned the history of the Russian state into a completely different direction. It was during this period that the dictatorship was overthrown by the masses, and the choice of the majority was on the side of democracy and freedom. Russia has entered a new period of its development.

On August 19, 1991, representatives of the top leadership of the USSR, who opposed the actual liquidation of the Soviet Union as a federal state and its replacement by a confederate "Union of Sovereign States", attempted to interfere with this process by introducing a state of emergency in the country.

Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who actively promoted the SSG project, was isolated at the state dacha in the Crimean Foros (according to other sources, having taken a neutral position, Gorbachev withdrew from the events, waiting for their outcome).

The State Committee for the State of Emergency (GKChP) assumed full responsibility for the fate of the country. By the decision of the State Emergency Committee, from 4 am on August 19, 1991, a state of emergency was introduced throughout the USSR for a period of six months.

From the appeal of the State Emergency Committee to the Soviet people:

“…The policy of reforms initiated by M. S. Gorbachev, conceived as a means of ensuring the country's dynamic development and democratization of public life, has reached a dead end for a number of reasons. The initial enthusiasm and hopes were replaced by disbelief, apathy and despair. The authorities at all levels have lost the trust of the population. Politicism has ousted concern for the fate of the Fatherland and the citizen from public life. An evil mockery is being imposed on all the institutions of the state. The country has essentially become ungovernable…”

The loud statements of the State Emergency Committee, however, did not lead to equally decisive actions. The introduction of troops into Moscow was not followed by attempts to disperse rallies of political opponents and stop the actions of the leadership of the RSFSR, headed by Boris Yeltsin, who declared the actions of the State Emergency Committee an attempted coup d'état.

On the evening of August 21, the GKChP was dissolved, and its members were arrested within a few days. The government, which announced its intention to save the country, did not take any real action.

The inhabitants of the USSR remember the events of August 19-21, 1991 most of all by the broadcast on television of the ballet "Swan Lake". The ballet, which was repeated several times, was replaced by other programs that, for political reasons, could not be aired.

The detained members of the State Emergency Committee were in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center, and from June 1992 to January 1993 they were released on bail. On February 23, 1994, the defendants in the “GKChP case” were amnestied by the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

The State Committee for the State of Emergency included 8 people:

    - Vice-President of the USSR, Acting President of the USSR;
  • - First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defense Council;
  • - Chairman of the KGB of the USSR;
  • - Prime Minister of the USSR;
  • - Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR;
  • - Chairman of the Peasants' Union of the USSR;
  • - President of the Association of State Enterprises and Objects of Industry, Construction, Transport and Communications of the USSR;
  • - Minister of Defense of the USSR.

The vice-president of the USSR, who became the formal head of the GKChP, was poorly suited to the role of leader. The trembling of the hands of Yanaev, who was very worried at the press conference of the State Committee for the State of Emergency, for his political opponents was evidence of the uncertainty of the "junta leader" in his actions. On August 21, Yanaev meekly signed documents on the dissolution of the State Emergency Committee and the cancellation of all its decisions.

Gennady Yanaev. Photo: RIA Novosti

Journalist Mikhail Leontiev cited Yanaev’s phrase from his conversation during the days of the “putsch” with the head of the KGB Vladimir Kryuchkov: “Understand my character, if at least one dies, I won’t be able to live.”

Arrested on August 22, in prison, Yanaev gave a frank interview to a journalist Andrey Karaulov, in which he said that the documents of the State Emergency Committee were developed with the knowledge of the President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, who back in April 1991 ordered the security forces to begin preparing measures in case a state of emergency was introduced in the country. The interview with Yanaev did not come out on the personal orders of the then head of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Oleg Poptsov.

In January 1993, Yanaev was released from custody on bail, and in February 1994, the ex-head of the State Emergency Committee was amnestied.

In the future, Gennady Yanaev did not take an active part in political life, working as a consultant to the committee of veterans and disabled people of the state service, and also heading the Fund for Helping Disabled Children since childhood.

In recent years, Yanaev served as head of the Department of National History and International Relations of the Russian International Academy of Tourism.

Gennady Yanaev died on September 24, 2010 from cancer. He was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery of the capital.

Baklanov, who represented the military-industrial complex in the State Emergency Committee, did not play an active role in the events of August 1991, however, he was arrested along with the rest of the "members of the junta." Like most other members of the State Emergency Committee, until January 1993 he was in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center, after which he was released on bail. In February 1994, Baklanov was amnestied. His arrest affected the career of his son - Baklanov Jr., who worked in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was forced to resign.

Oleg Baklanov. Photo: RIA Novosti

After the amnesty, Baklanov returned to work related to the enterprises of the military-industrial complex. Recently, Baklanov served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC Rosobshchemash.

The head of the KGB of the USSR was one of the "ideological inspirers" and informal leaders of the State Emergency Committee. However, Kryuchkov never ordered the KGB units to take active steps against Boris Yeltsin and other political opponents. In particular, on August 19, the Alpha unit had the possibility of arresting Yeltsin before he arrived in Moscow, but Kryuchkov did not go for it, fearing "unpredictable consequences." Arrested on August 22, Kryuchkov remained in custody until January 1993, after which he was released, and in February 1994 he was amnestied.

Vladimir Kryuchkov. Photo: RIA Novosti

In subsequent years, Kryuchkov served as the Board of Directors of Region JSC, and was also an adviser head of the FSB of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. The ex-head of the KGB was a member of the organizing committee of the Movement in Support of the Army, participated in the work of the council of veterans of state security workers, and wrote several memoirs.

He died on November 23, 2007 from a heart attack, was buried with military honors at the Troekurovsky cemetery of the capital.

The Prime Minister of the USSR was an active supporter of the creation of the State Emergency Committee, but in the August days of 1991 he became one of its most passive participants. Unlike his colleagues, he did not fly to Foros for negotiations with Gorbachev, but was removed from his post and arrested while in the hospital.

Valentin Pavlov. Photo: RIA Novosti

After the amnesty in 1994, Pavlov returned to financial activities, heading Chasprombank. Later, the ex-premier of the Soviet Union worked as an adviser at Promstroybank, was an employee of a number of economic institutions, and deputy chairman of the Free Economic Society.

As one of the most active members of the State Emergency Committee, Interior Minister Boris Karlovich Pugo was planned to be arrested first. On August 22, an extremely motley group of comrades, consisting of the chairman of the KGB of the RSFSR, left for Pugo's apartment, ahead of the capture group. Viktor Ivanenko, 1st Deputy Interior Minister and future active participant in the execution of the White House Victor Erin, Deputy Prosecutor General of the RSFSR Evgeny Lisina and deputy Grigory Yavlinsky.

Boris Pugo. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Eugene M

What happened at the apartment of the head of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs is still unclear. According to Yavlinsky, Pugo and his wife were still alive, but were near death. According to the main version, the Pugo couple tried to commit suicide, and the minister first shot his wife, and then himself. Pugo died a few minutes later, and his wife died in the hospital a day later, without regaining consciousness.

Boris and Valentina Pugo are buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.

In the August days of 1991, Starodubtsev, who was in charge of the agrarian complex, was preparing a draft Decree "On saving the harvest." Arrested on August 22, Starodubtsev was the first of the members of the State Emergency Committee to be free - he was released from the pre-trial detention center for health reasons in June 1992.

Starodubtsev returned to work in the Agrarian Union, and in 1993 became a member of the Federation Council.

Vasily Starodubtsev. Photo: RIA Novosti

After the amnesty in 1994, the business executive Starodubtsev made the most successful political career among his colleagues in the State Emergency Committee in the new Russia, from 1997 to 2005 holding the post of governor of the Tula region.

In 2007 and 2011, Starodubtsev was elected to the State Duma of Russia on the lists of the Communist Party. He died on December 30, 2011 from a heart attack. He was buried in the rural cemetery of the village of Spasskoye, Novomoskovsk district, Tula region, next to the graves of his wife and son.

The industrialist Alexander Tizyakov was not an accidental member of the State Emergency Committee. In July 1991, he signed the Word to the People, published in the newspaper Sovetskaya Rossiya, in which politicians and cultural figures spoke out against the actions of Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin and for the preservation of the Soviet Union.

However, Tizyakov did not have time to switch to active work to save Soviet industry in the three days of the existence of the State Emergency Committee.

Alexander Tizyakov. Photo: RIA Novosti

Like other members of the GKChP, Tizyakov left the pre-trial detention center in January 1993 and was granted amnesty in February 1994.

Subsequently, Tizyakov was a co-founder of AOZT Antal (engineering) and the insurance company Severnaya Kazna, the founder of Vidikon LLC (production of chipboard) and the company Fidelity (production of consumer goods), headed the board of directors of the investment trust company New Technologies ". In addition, Tizyakov was the president of the Russian-Kyrgyz enterprise Tekhnologiya, as well as the scientific director of Nauka-93 LLC.

The Minister of Defense of the USSR was an extremely unpopular figure among supporters of democratic reforms and paid them in the same coin. It was Yazov who gave the order to send army units to Moscow. Nevertheless, the Minister of Defense did not give a command to use force against the opponents of the State Emergency Committee.

After his arrest on August 22, Yazov recorded a repentant video message addressed to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Yazov himself claimed that the initiator of "tele-repentance" was journalist Vladimir Molchanov, and the ex-minister himself, depressed by the events and not sleeping at night, succumbed to the pressure.

Dmitry Yazov. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Barvenkovsky

While under investigation, Yazov continued to be registered in the military service, from which he was dismissed on February 2, 1994, three weeks before his amnesty.

Dmitry Yazov was the last military man to be awarded the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is currently the only living Marshal of the USSR.

After the amnesty, Dmitry Yazov served as chief military adviser to the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defense, chief adviser-consultant to the head of the Academy of the General Staff.

Currently, the 89-year-old retired Marshal of the USSR is the leading analyst (general inspector) of the service of general inspectors of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.


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The GKChP is an abbreviation for the State Committee for the State of Emergency, which was created by several top functionaries of the Communist Party of the USSR on August 19, 1991 to save the collapsing Soviet Union. The formal head of the committee was the vice-president of the USSR, member of the Politburo, Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Gennady Ivanovich Yanaev

background

Economic restructuring

In 1982, the long-term head of the Soviet Union, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, L. I. Brezhnev, died. With his death, the period of relatively calm, stable, more or less prosperous life of the USSR ended, which began for the first time since the formation of the Land of Soviets. In 1985, the post of General Secretary and, consequently, the absolute master of the destinies of 250 million Soviet citizens was taken by MS Gorbachev. Aware of the complexities of the Soviet economy, its growing lag behind Western countries, Gorbachev made an attempt to cheer up the socialist economic system by introducing elements of the market into it.
Alas, having said “A”, you should definitely continue, that is, one concession to the ideological enemy was followed by another, a third, and so on until complete surrender

  • 1985, April 23 - at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Gorbachev proclaimed a course towards acceleration - improving the existing economic system
  • 1985, May - Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On measures to overcome drunkenness and alcoholism"
  • 1986, February 25-March 6 - XXVII Congress of the CPSU. It defined the task of "improving socialism"
  • 1986, November 19 - The Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted the Law "On individual labor activity"
  • 1987, January - at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the task of a radical restructuring of economic management was put forward
  • January 13, 1987 - Decree of the Council of Ministers allowing the creation of joint ventures
  • 1987, February 5 - Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR "On the creation of cooperatives for the production of consumer goods"
  • 1987, June 11 - the law "On the transfer of enterprises and organizations of sectors of the national economy to full self-financing and self-financing"
  • 1987, June 25 - The Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU considered the issue "On the tasks of the party for a radical restructuring of economic management."
  • 1987, June 30 - the law "On the state enterprise (association)" was adopted, redistributing powers between ministries and enterprises in favor of the latter
  • 1988, May 26 - Law "On Cooperation in the USSR"
  • 1988, August 24 - in Chimkent (Kazakh SSR) the first cooperative bank in the USSR ("Soyuz-bank") was registered

The measures taken did not bring results. In 1986, the budget deficit doubled compared to 1985
The resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On measures to overcome drunkenness and alcoholism" led to more than 20 billion losses in budget revenues, the transition to the category of scarce products that were previously freely available (juices, cereals, caramel, etc.), a sharp increase in home brewing and an increase in mortality due to poisoning with counterfeit alcohol and surrogates. Due to low world prices for energy carriers, the inflow of foreign currency to the budget has decreased. Large-scale accidents and catastrophes became more frequent (1986, May - Chernobyl). Sugar stamps were introduced in the fall of 1989.

“In a Murmansk store near the bazaar, for the first time after the war, I saw food cards - coupons for sausage and butter (V. Konetsky “No one will take away the path we have traveled”, 1987)

  • 1990, June - Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On the concept of transition to a market economy"
  • 1990, October - resolution "Main directions for the stabilization of the national economy and the transition to a market economy"
  • 1990, December - the government of the USSR, headed by N. Ryzhkov, was dismissed. The Council of Ministers of the USSR was transformed into the Cabinet of Ministers of the USSR, headed by Prime Minister V. Pavlov
  • 1991, January 23-25 ​​- exchange of 50- and 100-ruble banknotes for new banknotes
  • 1991, April 2 - double price increase for all products

Nevertheless, in 1991 there was an 11% decline in production, a 20-30% budget deficit, and a huge foreign debt of $103.9 billion. Products, soap, matches, sugar, detergents were distributed by cards, cards were often not stocked. Republican and regional customs appeared

Ideological restructuring

The introduction of elements of capitalism into the Soviet economic mechanism forced the authorities to change their policy in the field of ideology. After all, it was necessary to somehow explain to the people why the capitalist system, which had been criticized for 70 years, suddenly turned out to be in demand in their country, the most advanced and rich. The new policy was called glasnost

  • 1986, February-March - at the 27th Congress of the CPSU, Gorbachev said:
    “The issue of expanding publicity is of fundamental importance for us. This is a political issue. Without glasnost, there is not and cannot be democracy, the political creativity of the masses, their participation in governance.
  • 1986, May - at the V Congress of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR, his entire board was unexpectedly re-elected
  • 1986, September 4 - the order of Glavlit (the censorship committee of the USSR) to focus the attention of censors only on issues related to the protection of state and military secrets in the press
  • 1986, September 25 - Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU on the termination of the jamming of the broadcasts of the Voice of America and the BBC
  • 1986, December - Academician Sakharov returned from exile in Gorky
  • 1987, January 27 - Gorbachev at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU:
    “We should not have areas that are closed to criticism. The people need the whole truth... More than ever, we need more light now, so that the party and the people know everything, so that we don’t have dark corners where mold would start up again. ”
  • 1987, January - the anti-Stalinist film "Repentance" by T. Abuladze was released on the screens of the country
  • 1987, January - the documentary film "Is it easy to be young?" directed by Juris Podnieks
  • February 1987 - 140 dissidents released from prison
  • 1987 - unlimited subscription to newspapers and magazines is allowed
  • 1987, October 2 - the release of the independent television program "Vzglyad" on television
  • 1988, May 8 - an organization of dissidents and human rights activists, the Democratic Union, is founded, positioning itself as an opposition party to the CPSU
  • 1988, June 28-July 1 - at the XIX All-Union Party Conference of the CPSU, a decision was made on alternative elections of deputies to the Soviets of all levels
  • November 30, 1988 - Jamming of all foreign radio stations is completely prohibited in the USSR
  • 1987-1988 - publication of literary works banned in the USSR, articles about the past of the USSR were published in magazines and newspapers, refuting established myths ("New World", "Moscow News", "Arguments and Facts", "Spark")
  • 1989, March 26 - the first free elections to the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR
  • 1989, May 25 - the First Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR opened in Moscow, at which for the first time the problems of the country were openly discussed, some actions of the authorities were criticized, proposals and alternatives were put forward. The meetings of the congress were broadcast live and listened to throughout the country.
  • 1989, December 12-24 - at the II Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, Boris Yeltsin, who led a group of democrats, demanded the abolition of Article 6 of the Constitution of the USSR, which stated that "the CPSU is the leading and guiding force" in the state

Perestroika, acceleration, glasnost - the slogans of the policy pursued by M. S. Gorbachev

The collapse of the USSR

The Soviet Union was based on violence and fear, or discipline and respect for authority, as one likes. As soon as the people discovered a certain lethargy and helplessness in the actions of the state, some freedom, actions of disobedience began. Somewhere there were strikes (in the spring of 1989 in the mines), somewhere there were anti-communist rallies (in August-September 1988 in Moscow). However, inter-ethnic conflicts and the activities of national republics caused the biggest problems for Moscow, the leaders of which, sensing the weakness of the Center, decided to take all power in the territory under their control.

  • 1986, December 17-18 - anti-communist protests of Kazakh youth in Alma-Ata
  • 1988, November-December - aggravation of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia because of Nagorno-Karabakh
  • 1989, June - pogrom of the Meskhetian Turks in the Ferghana Valley
  • 1989, July 15-16 - bloody clashes between Georgians and Abkhazians in Sukhumi (16 dead).
  • 1989, April 6 - anti-Soviet rally in Tbilisi, suppressed by the army
  • 1990, January - unrest in Baku, suppressed by the Army
  • 1990, June - conflict between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in the city of Osh
  • 1990, March 11 - Declaration of Independence of Lithuania
  • 1990, May 4 - Declaration of Independence of Latvia
  • 1990, May 8 - Declaration of Independence of Estonia
  • 1990, June 12 - declaration of independence of the RSFSR
  • 1990, September 2 - the proclamation of the Transnistrian Republic
  • 1991, January 8-9 - bloody clashes between the army and demonstrators in Vilnius
  • 1991, March 31 - a referendum on the independence of Georgia
  • 1991, April 19 - conflict between Ingush and Ossetians, one dead

On August 20, 1991, the former republics of the USSR, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and in the autumn - Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Turkmenistan, were to sign a new treaty that terminated the union from 1922 and created a new state formation - a confederation instead of a federation

GKChP. Briefly

For the sake of preventing the creation of a new state and saving the old - the Soviet Union, part of the party elite formed the State Committee for the State of Emergency. Gorbachev, who was resting in the Crimea at that moment, was isolated from the ongoing events.

Composition of the State Committee for the State of Emergency

*** Achalov - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR, Colonel General
*** Baklanov - First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defense Council
*** Boldin - Chief of Staff of the President of the USSR
*** Varennikov - Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces
*** Generalov - head of security of the residence of the President of the USSR in Foros
*** Kryuchkov - Chairman of the KGB of the USSR
*** Lukyanov - Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
*** Pavlov - Prime Minister of the USSR
*** Plekhanov - Head of the Security Service of the KGB of the USSR
*** Pugo - Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR
*** Starodubtsev - Chairman of the Peasants' Union of the USSR
*** Tizyakov - President of the Association of State Enterprises of the USSR
*** Shenin - member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU
*** Yazov - Minister of Defense of the USSR
*** Yanaev - Vice President of the USSR

  • 1991, August 15 - the text of the new Union Treaty was published
  • 1991, August 17 - Kryuchkov, Pavlov, Yazov, Baklanov, Shenin, Boldin at a meeting decide to introduce a state of emergency from August 19, require Gorbachev to sign the relevant decrees or resign and transfer powers to Vice President Yanaev
  • 1991, August 17 - the conspirators decided to send a delegation to Gorbachev demanding the introduction of a state of emergency and non-signing of the Treaty
  • 1991, August 18 - Yanaev in the Kremlin met with members of the delegation who returned from the Crimea after a meeting with Gorbachev
  • 1991, August 18 - Yazov ordered to prepare the entry of troops into Moscow
  • 1991, August 19 - Yanaev signed a decree on the formation of the State Committee for the State of Emergency

GKChP Resolution No. 1 introduced a ban
- rallies
- demonstrations
- strikes
- activities of political parties, public organizations, mass movements
- issues of some central, Moscow city and regional socio-political publications
- the allocation of 15 acres of land to all interested residents of cities for gardening and gardening

  • 1991, August 19 - parts of the Taman motorized rifle division, the Kantemirovskaya tank division, the 106th (Tula) airborne division entered Moscow
  • 1991, August 19 - people opposing the GKChP began to gather near the building of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, on Manezhnaya Square, in the evening B. Yeltsin spoke to them, reading out the Decree "On the illegality of the actions of the GKChP"
  • 1991, August 20 - the confrontation between Muscovites, led by Yeltsin and the State Emergency Committee, continued. There were rumors about the preparation of a forceful dispersal of the protesters, the storming of the White House, on TV they suddenly showed a true story about what was happening near the White House
  • 1991, August 21 - at 5 o'clock in the morning Yazov ordered the withdrawal of troops from Moscow
  • 1991, August 21 - at 17:00, a delegation of the State Emergency Committee arrived in Crimea. Gorbachev refused to accept it and demanded to restore contact with the outside world
  • 1991, August 21 - At 9 o'clock in the evening, Vice-President Yanaev signed a decree in which the State Emergency Committee was declared dissolved, and all its decisions were invalid
  • 1991, August 21 - at 10 p.m., the Prosecutor General of the RSFSR Stepankov issued a decree on the arrest of members of the State Emergency Committee ( more details about the August Putsch are written on Wikipedia)

Outcome of the GKChP

  • 1991, August 24 - Ukraine declared state independence
  • 1991, August 25 - Belarus
  • 1991, August 27 - Moldova
  • 1991, August 31 - Uzbekistan
  • 1991, October 27 - Turkmenistan
  • 1991, August 31 - Kyrgyzstan
  • 1991, September 9 - Tajikistan
  • 1991, September 21 - Armenia
  • 1991, October 18 - Azerbaijan
  • 1991, December 8 - in Viskuli near Brest (Belarus), President of the RSFSR B. Yeltsin, President of Ukraine L. Kravchuk and Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus S. Shushkevich signed an Agreement on the disintegration of the USSR and the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Perestroika, acceleration, glasnost, the State Emergency Committee - all these attempts to fix, restore the Soviet state machine were in vain, because it was inseparable and could only exist in the form in which it was

The first and last president of the USSR began to carry out actions leading to the destruction of his country. In order to stop this madness, a few brave people decided to remove Gorbachev, and staged a coup, while forming a structure called the State Emergency Committee. Deciphering the State Emergency Committee uncomplicated and simple, this abbreviation means State Committee for the State of Emergency. Before continuing, I want to recommend you some popular publications, for example, how to understand the word Label, what does Light mean, what is Casual? In the history of the Soviet Union, this was the most short-lived political system. Yeltsin, supported by Western intelligence agencies, arranged " orange revolution". At that time it was surprising and incomprehensible, now these technologies are an "open book".

In general, people, obeying the actions of the puppeteer, completely forget that not one coup, not a single revolution brought prosperity, on the contrary, the standard of living of the population was rapidly declining. We will not cite Ukraine as an example, everything here is so banal and clear that it even takes surprise that there are people who believe in this nonsense.

GKChP- The State Committee for the State of Emergency, this is a self-proclaimed authority in the USSR, which lasted only a few days from August 18 to 21, 1991, and peacefully rested in a bose


GKChP, it was the last attempt to save a dying country, but the little people who became these very rescuers turned out to be flimsy and stupid. Among their ranks were such personalities as Pavlov (Minister of Finance), Yanaev(vice president) Yazov(Minister of Defense), and in addition, such comrades as Tizyakov, Baklanov and Starodubtsev.

Against the backdrop of unfolding burning events, Pavlov carried out his monetary reform by issuing coins of the 1991 sample, which participated in circulation until 09/26/93. Then another reform was carried out, after which all the banknotes of the issue with 1961 to 1992 year ordered to live long.

Interestingly, it is the coins of 1991 with the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin on the obverse and the building of the Supreme Council on the reverse that are now called the coins of the State Emergency Committee. Although, in fact, nothing GKChP they do not, because Pavlov conceived his reform much earlier, and their release began a few months before this shameful event. However, to make it easier to distinguish between coins with the same denomination and issued in the same country, they came up with this name, which gave them a certain amount of mystery.

Coins of the State Committee for the State of Emergency- this is money that came into being thanks to the Pavlovian reform, and coincided in time with a series of extremely unpleasant events for the USSR


Since there were a lot of coins to be produced and in a short time, no one bothered with the quality. Moreover, some denominations were made of coated steel for more cheap technologies.