Soviet coup attempt
August 19, 1991
Hardliners in the Communist Party placed Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest at his Crimea dacha and announced themselves as the new leadership. In Moscow Boris Yeltsin climbed onto a tank outside the Russian parliament and defied them. Within three days the coup collapsed. The Communist Party's hold on Soviet life was broken. The USSR had four months left.
In context
Also in 1991 (6 other events on record)
- Soviet Union dissolved · Europe · Politics
- Mount Pinatubo Erupts · Southeast Asia · Disaster
- Yugoslavia begins to break up · Europe · War
- World Wide Web opens to the public · Europe · Technology
- Gulf War begins · Middle East · War
- Yeltsin elected Russian president · Europe · Politics
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Politics
Era
Modern Era (1901–2000), one of 590 events from that era on Saeculum.