At the current stage of development Russian Federation and neighboring states that are receivers former USSR, there are many political, economic and cultural problems. Their solution is impossible without a thorough analysis of the events associated with the process of collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This article contains clear and structured information about the collapse of the USSR, as well as an analysis of events and personalities directly related to this process.

Brief background

The years of the USSR are a story of victories and defeats, economic rise and fall. It is known that the Soviet Union as a state was formed in 1922. After this, as a result of many political and military events, its territory increased. The peoples and republics that were part of the USSR had the right to voluntarily secede from it. Repeatedly, the country's ideology emphasized the fact that the Soviet state is a family of friendly peoples.

Regarding the leadership of such a huge country, it is not difficult to predict that it was centralized. The main body of government was the CPSU party. And the leaders of republican governments were appointed by the central Moscow leadership. Main legislative act regulating legal status affairs in the country, there was the Constitution of the USSR.

Reasons for the collapse of the USSR

Many powerful countries are going through difficult times in their development. Speaking about the collapse of the USSR, it should be noted that 1991 was a very difficult and contradictory year in the history of our state. What contributed to this? The reasons that caused the collapse of the USSR can be identified great amount. Let's try to dwell on the main ones:

• authoritarianism of government and society in the state, persecution of dissidents;
• nationalist tendencies in the union republics, the presence of interethnic conflicts in the country;
• one state ideology, censorship, ban on any political alternative;
• economic crisis Soviet system production (extensive method);
• international fall in oil prices;
• a number of unsuccessful attempts to reform the Soviet system;
• colossal centralization of organs state power;
• military failure in Afghanistan (1989).

These, of course, are not all the reasons for the collapse of the USSR, but they can rightfully be considered fundamental.

The collapse of the USSR: the general course of events

With the appointment of Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev to the post of General Secretary of the CPSU in 1985, the policy of perestroika began, which was associated with sharp criticism of the previous government system, the disclosure of KGB archival documents and the liberalization of public life. But the situation in the country not only did not change, but also worsened. The people became more active politically, and the formation of many organizations and movements, sometimes nationalistic and radical, began. M. S. Gorbachev, President of the USSR, repeatedly came into conflict with the future leader of the country, B. Yeltsin, over the withdrawal of the RSFSR from the Union.

National crisis

The collapse of the USSR occurred gradually in all sectors of society. The crisis has come, both economically and foreign policy, and even demographically. This was officially announced in 1989.

In the year of the collapse of the USSR it became obvious eternal problem Soviet society - commodity shortage. Even essential products are disappearing from store shelves.

Softness in the country's foreign policy results in the fall of regimes loyal to the USSR in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Romania. New national states are being formed there.

It was also quite turbulent within the country itself. Mass demonstrations begin in the union republics (demonstration in Almaty, the Karabakh conflict, unrest in the Fergana Valley).

There are also rallies in Moscow and Leningrad. The crisis in the country plays into the hands of the radical democrats, led by Boris Yeltsin. They are gaining popularity among the dissatisfied masses.

Parade of sovereignties

In early February 1990, the Party's Central Committee announced the annulment of its dominance in power. Democratic elections were held in the RSFSR and the Union republics, in which radical political forces in the form of liberals and nationalists won.

In 1990 and early 1991, a wave of protests swept across the Soviet Union, which historians later called the “parade of sovereignties.” During this period, many of the union republics adopted Declarations of Sovereignty, which meant the supremacy of republican law over the all-Union law.

The first territory that dared to leave the USSR was the Nakhichevan Republic. This happened back in January 1990. It was followed by: Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Lithuania and Armenia. Over time, all allied states will issue Declarations of their independence (after the GKChP putsch), and the USSR will finally collapse.

The last president of the USSR

Played a central role in the collapse of the Soviet Union last president of this state - M. S. Gorbachev. The collapse of the USSR took place against the backdrop of Mikhail Sergeevich’s desperate efforts to reform Soviet society and the system.

M. S. Gorbachev was from the Stavropol Territory (the village of Privolnoye). Was born statesman in 1931 in the simplest family. After graduation high school continued his studies at the Faculty of Law of Moscow State University, where he headed the Komsomol organization. There he met his future wife, Raisa Titarenko.

During his student years, Gorbachev was involved in active political activities, joined the ranks of the CPSU and already in 1955 he took the position of secretary of the Stavropol Komsomol. Gorbachev moved up the career ladder of a civil servant quickly and confidently.

Rise to power

Mikhail Sergeevich came to power in 1985, after the so-called “era of deaths of general secretaries” (three leaders of the USSR died in three years). It should be noted that the title “President of the USSR” (introduced in 1990) was only borne by Gorbachev; all previous leaders were called General Secretaries. The reign of Mikhail Sergeevich was characterized by thorough political reforms, which were often not particularly thought out and radical.

Attempts at reform

Such socio-political transformations include: prohibition, the introduction of self-financing, money exchange, the policy of openness, acceleration.

For the most part, society did not appreciate the reforms and had a negative attitude towards them. And there was little benefit to the state from such radical actions.

In his foreign policy, M. S. Gorbachev adhered to the so-called “policy of new thinking,” which contributed to detente international relations and ending the arms race. For this position, Gorbachev received the Nobel Peace Prize. But the USSR at that time was in a terrible situation.

August putsch

Of course, attempts to reform Soviet society, and ultimately completely destroy the USSR, were not supported by many. Some supporters Soviet power united and decided to speak out against the destructive processes that were taking place in the Union.

The GKChP putsch was a political uprising that took place in August 1991. His goal is the restoration of the USSR. The 1991 coup was regarded by the official authorities as an attempted coup.

The events took place in Moscow from August 19 to 21, 1991. Among the many street clashes, the main striking event that ultimately led to the collapse of the USSR was the decision to create the State Committee for the State of Emergency (GKChP). This was a new body formed by state officials, headed by USSR Vice President Gennady Yanaev.

Main reasons for the coup

The main reason for the August putsch can be considered dissatisfaction with Gorbachev's policies. Perestroika did not bring the expected results, the crisis deepened, unemployment and crime grew.

The last straw for future putschists and conservatives was the President’s desire to transform the USSR into a Union of Sovereign States. After M. S. Gorbachev left Moscow, the dissatisfied did not miss the opportunity for an armed uprising. But the conspirators failed to retain power; the putsch was suppressed.

The significance of the GKChP putsch

The 1991 coup launched an irreversible process towards the collapse of the USSR, which was already in a state of continuous economic and political instability. Despite the desire of the putschists to preserve the state, they themselves contributed to its collapse. After this event, Gorbachev resigned, the structure of the CPSU collapsed, and the republics of the USSR began to gradually proclaim their independence. The Soviet Union was replaced by a new state - the Russian Federation. And 1991 is understood by many as the year of the collapse of the USSR.

Bialowieza Accords

The 1991 Bialowieza Accords were signed on December 8th. Officials of three states - Russia, Ukraine and Belarus - put their signatures on them. The agreements were a document that legislated the collapse of the USSR and the formation new organization mutual assistance and cooperation - Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

As mentioned earlier, the GKChP putsch only weakened the central authorities and thereby accompanied the collapse of the USSR. In some republics, separatist tendencies began to brew, which were actively promoted in the regional media. As an example, we can consider Ukraine. In the country, in a national referendum on December 1, 1991, almost 90% of citizens voted for the independence of Ukraine, and L. Kravchuk was elected president of the country.

In early December, the leader made a statement that Ukraine was abandoning the 1922 treaty on the creation of the USSR. The year 1991, therefore, became the starting point for Ukrainians on the path to their own statehood.

The Ukrainian referendum served as a signal for President Boris Yeltsin, who began to more persistently strengthen his power in Russia.

Creation of the CIS and the final destruction of the USSR

In turn, a new chairman was elected in Belarus Supreme Council S. Shushkevich. It was he who invited the leaders of neighboring states Kravchuk and Yeltsin to Belovezhskaya Pushcha to discuss the current situation and coordinate subsequent actions. After minor discussions between the delegates, the fate of the USSR was finally decided. The Treaty establishing the Soviet Union of December 31, 1922 was denounced, and in its place a plan for the Commonwealth of Independent States was prepared. After this process, many disputes arose, since the agreement on the creation of the USSR was supported by the Constitution of 1924.

However, it should be noted that the Belovezhskaya Agreements of 1991 were adopted not by the will of three politicians, but by the wishes of the peoples of the former Soviet republics. Just two days after the signing of the agreement, the Supreme Councils of Belarus and Ukraine adopted an act of denunciation union treaty and ratified the agreement establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States. In Russia, on December 12, 1991, the same procedure took place. Not only radical liberals and democrats, but also communists voted for the ratification of the Belovezhskaya Accords.

Already on December 25, USSR President M. S. Gorbachev resigned. So, relatively simply, they destroyed the government system, which had existed for years. Although the USSR was an authoritarian state, there were certainly positive sides to its history. Among them are social security for citizens, the presence of clear government plans for the economy and superior military power. Many people to this day remember life in the Soviet Union with nostalgia.

The Soviet Union was dissolved December 26, 1991. This was announced in Declaration No. 142-N issued by the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union. The Declaration recognized the independence of the former Soviet republics and created the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), although five of its signatories ratified it much later or did not do so at all.

The day before, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned and transferred his powers, including control over the launch codes of Soviet nuclear missiles, to Russian President Boris Yeltsin. That evening at 7:32 soviet flag was replaced by the pre-revolutionary Russian flag.

A week before the official termination Union of 11 republics signed the Alma-Ata Protocol, which formally created the CIS. The collapse of the USSR also marked end of the cold war.

Some of the republics have maintained close ties with the Russian Federation and have created multilateral organizations, such as:

• Eurasian Economic Community;
• Union State;
• Eurasian Customs Union and Eurasian Economic Union.

On the other hand, the Baltic countries have joined NATO and the European Union.

Spring 1989 The people of the Soviet Union, in a democratic choice, albeit limited, for the first time since 1917, elected a new Congress of People's Deputies. This example prompted the events that began to occur in Poland. The communist government in Warsaw was overthrown, which in turn sparked coups that overthrew communism in the other five Warsaw Pact countries before the end of 1989. The Berlin Wall was torn down.

These events showed that the people of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union did not support Gorbachev's desire to modernize the communist system.

October 25, 1989 The Supreme Council voted to expand the power of the republics in local elections, allowing them to decide for themselves how to organize voting. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have already proposed laws on direct presidential elections. Local elections in all republics were scheduled for the period from December to March 1990.

In December 1989 The Congress of People's Deputies took place and Gorbachev signed the report of the Yakovlev Commission condemning the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

The constituent republics of the union began to declare their national sovereignty and “war of laws” with the central government of Moscow; they rejected national legislation that conflicted with local laws, asserted control over the local economy, and refused to pay taxes. These processes began to occur everywhere and simultaneously.

Rivalry between the USSR and the RSFSR

March 4, 1990 The RSFSR Republic held relatively free elections. Boris Yeltsin was elected representing Sverdlovsk with 72 percent of the vote. On May 29, 1990, Yeltsin was elected chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, despite the fact that Gorbachev asked Russian deputies don't vote for him.

Yeltsin was supported by democratic and conservative members of the Supreme Soviet, who were seeking power in the evolving political situation. A new struggle for power arose between the RSFSR and the Soviet Union. On July 12, 1990, Yeltsin resigned from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in a dramatic speech at the 28th Congress.

Lithuania

11th of March The newly elected parliament of the Lithuanian SSR proclaimed the Law on the Restoration of Lithuania, making it the first republic to separate from the USSR.

Estonia

March 30, 1990 Estonia declared the Soviet occupation of Estonia after World War II illegal and began to restore Estonia as an independent state.

Latvia

Latvia announced the restoration of independence May 4, 1990 with a declaration providing for a transition period for full independence.

Ukraine

July 16, 1990 Parliament overwhelmingly approved the Declaration of Sovereignty of Ukraine - 355 votes and four against. MPs voted 339–5 to declare July 16 a national holiday in Ukraine.

March 17, 1991 In the All-Union referendum, 76.4 percent of people were in favor of preserving the Soviet Union. Boycotted the referendum:

• Baltic republics;
• Armenia;
• Georgia;
• Moldova;
• Checheno-Ingushetia.

In each of the remaining nine republics, a majority of voters supported maintaining the reformed Soviet Union.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the attempted coup

June 12, 1991 Boris Yeltsin won democratic elections, defeating Gorbachev's preferred candidate, Nikolai Ryzhkov. After Yeltsin's election to the presidency, Russia declared itself independent.

Faced with growing separatism, Gorbachev sought to rebuild the Soviet Union into a less centralized state. On August 20, 1991, the Russian SSR was supposed to sign a union treaty that would turn the Soviet Union into a federation. This was strongly supported by the republics Central Asia who needed the economic benefits of the common market to prosper. However, this would mean some degree of continuation of the Communist Party over economic and social life.

More radical reformists increasingly convinced of the need for a rapid transition to a market economy, even if the end result meant the collapse of the Soviet Union into several independent states. Independence also suited Yeltsin's wishes, as well as regional and local authorities authorities will get rid of Moscow's large-scale control.

In contrast to the warm reaction of the reformers to the treaty, the conservatives, "patriots" and Russian nationalists of the USSR, still strong within the CPSU and the military, opposed the weakening of the Soviet state and its centralized power structure.

August 19, 1991 years, high-ranking officials of the USSR formed the “General Committee for emergency situations" The leaders of the coup issued an emergency decree to suspend political activity and the banning of most newspapers.

The organizers of the coup expected public support, but found that public opinion was major cities and the republics were mostly against them. This manifested itself in public demonstrations, especially in Moscow. RSFSR President Yeltsin condemned the coup and received popular support.

After three days, August 21, 1991, the coup collapsed. The organizers were detained, and Gorbachev was restored as president, although his power was greatly shaken.

August 24, 1991 Gorbachev dissolved the Central Committee of the CPSU, resigned as the party's general secretary and dissolved all party units in the government. Five days later, the Supreme Council indefinitely suspended all activities of the CPSU for Soviet territory effectively ending communist rule in the Soviet Union and destroying the only remaining unifying force in the country.

In what year did the USSR collapse

Between August and December, 10 republics declared their independence, largely out of fear of another coup. By the end of September, Gorbachev no longer had the authority to influence events outside Moscow.

September 17, 1991 General Assembly resolutions 46/4, 46/5 and 46/6 recognized Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as members of the United Nations in accordance with Security Council resolutions No. 709, 710 and 711, adopted on 12 September without a vote.

The final round of the collapse of the Soviet Union began with a popular referendum in Ukraine on December 1, 1991, in which 90 percent of voters chose independence. The events that took place in Ukraine destroyed any real chance for Gorbachev to preserve the USSR, even on a limited scale. The leaders of the three main Slavic republics: Russia, Ukraine and Belarus agreed to discuss possible alternatives to the USSR.

December 8 the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus met secretly in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, in the west of Belarus, and signed a document in which it was said that the USSR ceased to exist and announced the creation of the CIS. They also invited other republics to join the CIS. Gorbachev called it an unconstitutional coup.

Doubts remain as to whether it is legal Bialowieza Agreement, since it was signed by only three republics. However, on December 21, 1991, representatives of 11 of the 12 remaining republics, except Georgia, signed a protocol that confirmed the dissolution of the Union and officially formed the CIS.

On the night of December 25, at 19:32 Moscow time, after Gorbachev left the Kremlin, the Soviet flag was lowered into last time and in its place the Russian tricolor was raised, symbolically signifying the end of the Soviet Union.

That same day, United States President George W. Bush made a short televised speech officially recognizing the independence of the 11 remaining republics.

Alma-Ata Protocol also touched on other issues, including UN membership. It is noteworthy that Russia was authorized to accept membership in the Soviet Union, including its permanent place in the Security Council. The Soviet Ambassador to the UN sent a letter to the UN Secretary General dated December 24, 1991, signed by Russian President Yeltsin, informing him that by virtue of the Alma-Ata Protocol, Russia had become the successor state of the USSR.

After being circulated to other UN member states without objection, the statement was declared accepted on the last day of the year, December 31, 1991.

Additional Information

According to a 2014 survey, 57 percent of Russian citizens regretted the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fifty percent of respondents in Ukraine in a February 2005 survey said they also regretted the collapse of the USSR.

The collapse of economic ties that occurred during the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a serious economic crisis and a rapid decline in living standards in the post-Soviet states and the former Eastern Bloc.

Membership in the United Nations

In a letter dated December 24, 1991 President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin informed Secretary General United Nations that the Russian Federation continues its membership in UN bodies with the support of 11 member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Belarus and Ukraine by this time were already members of the UN.

Other twelve independent states, created from former Soviet republics, were also admitted to the UN:

• 17 September 1991: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania;
• March 2, 1992: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan;
• July 31, 1992: Georgia.

Video

From the video you will learn about the reasons for the collapse of the USSR.

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On the eve of the celebration of the next New Year, on December 30, 1922, one state was created from four republics, which was called the USSR. Initially, it included Ukraine, Belarus, Russia (with the autonomous Kazakh and Kyrgyz republics), as well as the Transcaucasian Federative Republic, which by that time united Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. During 1924-1925 The USSR adopted the Bukhara and Khorezm Socialist Republics, which were soon disbanded, and Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan appeared in their place. Thus, by that time the Union consisted of 6 powers. Tajikistan was part of Uzbekistan as an autonomous region. In 1929 it became a full-fledged Soviet Republic– 7th in a row. Exactly 7 years later, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan left the Transcaucasian Republic, and Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan left Russia.

All of them became separate powers within the USSR. After another 4 years, the Karelian Autonomous Republic left the RSFSR, becoming the Karelo-Finnish SSR. During the first ten days of August 1940, the USSR was replenished with Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Attention! Until 1944 there was a Tuvan People's Republic. This formation became part of the structure of the USSR, but not as a separate state, but as an autonomous region within Russia.

By the beginning of the 1950s. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consisted of 16 powers. However, already in the summer of 1956, the Karelo-Finnish SSR again returned as autonomy to Russia. There are 15 republics, and this number remains unchanged until the collapse of the powerful Soviet state. There is an opinion that Bulgaria should have become part of the USSR, but this remained at the proposal level.

The process of splitting the Socialist Union was not overnight: it lasted several years. The republics left the USSR in the same way as they entered - gradually:

• Estonia initially declared sovereignty back in 1988;
• Lithuania was the first to leave the USSR (March 1990). At that time, the world community was not ready to recognize the new state;

• 5 more republics managed to leave the Union before the coup in August 1991: Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Azerbaijan and Georgia;
• As a result of the August putsch, almost all the remaining republics declared their independence. By early December 1991, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan had not done this.

Attention! Officially, the Soviet Union ceased to exist on December 26, 1991. However, many historians are confident that 1985 was a kind of point of no return, when M.S. was elected as the last general secretary. Gorbachev.

When putting forward assumptions about why the USSR collapsed, historians do not come to the same opinion. Therefore, there are several reasons that are considered the most likely.

Decline of state power. The Union of Republics was founded by people who faithfully and even fanatically believed in the idea of ​​​​the equality of all citizens. Ardent communists were allowed to govern the state, but every year there were fewer and fewer of them. The average age of the leaders was 75 years old, and they passed away quickly. When Mikhail Gorbachev took the helm of power, he was slightly over 50. The only president of the USSR was not ideological enough; his reforms led to a weakening of the monocentrism of state power.

The desire for independence. The leaders of the republics wanted to get rid of centralized power, to which they had accumulated a lot of complaints:

• decision-making was slow, since everything was decided at the level of the Union. This constrained the activities of the republics themselves;
• regions of a huge country wanted to independently develop their culture and national traditions;
• not without manifestations of nationalism, characteristic of many republics of the USSR, etc.

Attention! It is believed that the split process was accelerated by the fall of the Berlin country and the unification of Germany.

Crisis in all sectors of life. He expressed:

• there is a shortage of essential goods;
• in the production of low quality products;
• in the ban on the church and strict censorship in the media. The Soviet people were especially outraged by the suppression of the truth about man-made disasters, in particular the Chernobyl tragedy. In the era of the USSR there was crime and drugs, but it was not customary to talk about it out loud.

The failure of communist ideology. The propaganda of equality and brotherhood turned out to be alien to the younger generation. People stopped believing in a bright communist future: buying something in a store was problematic, speaking and thinking were forced to use almost cliche phrases. The old generation, on which Soviet ideology was based, was passing away, leaving behind no ardent admirers of communism.

It is believed that the United States also played a significant role in the split of the Union. Cold War, falling oil prices - all this accelerated the process. External and internal reasons did not leave the USSR a chance to maintain unity. The collapse of the state turned out to be natural.

Collapse of the USSR: video

December 8, 1991 during a meeting in Belarus in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, carried out in secret Soviet President, leaders of the three Slavic republics B.N. Yeltsin (Russia), L.M. Kravchuk (Ukraine), S.S. Shushkevich (Belarus) announced the termination of the Union Treaty of 1922 and the creation of the CIS - Commonwealth of Independent States.

Reasons for collapse:

1) weakening of the influence of the power vertical of the USSR

2) sovereignty of the republics, their constitutional right to secede from the USSR

3) the desire of the elites of the union and a number of autonomous republics to control the resources of their territories without the participation of the union authorities

4) the need to restore lost national statehood

5) orientation towards joining neighboring states

6) crisis of ideology

7) unsuccessful attempts to reform the Soviet system, which led to stagnation and then the collapse of the economy and political system

II. The process of the collapse of the USSR fits into three stages

Stage 1.

This is the period of perestroika, when the political activity of the people increased, mass movements and organizations were formed, including radical and nationalist ones. The situation was aggravated by the confrontation in the political space between the President of the USSR Gorbachev and the President of the RSFSR Yeltsin.

In 1989, the beginning of the economic crisis was officially announced for the first time - economic growth was replaced by decline;

In the period 1989-1991. The main problem of the Soviet economy reaches its maximum - a chronic commodity shortage - almost all basic goods, except bread, disappear from free sale. In the regions of the country, rationed supplies in the form of coupons are being introduced;

Since 1991, a demographic crisis (an excess of mortality over the birth rate) has been recorded for the first time;

In 1989 there was a massive collapse of the pro-Soviet communist regimes in Eastern Europe;

A number of interethnic conflicts are flaring up on the territory of the USSR:

In June 1989, interethnic conflicts broke out

Stage 2. The “parade of sovereignties” begins, which in turn pushes the leadership of the USSR to create a new Union Treaty.

On February 7, 1990, the CPSU Central Committee announced the weakening of the monopoly on power, and within a few weeks the first competitive elections were held. Liberals and nationalists won many seats in the parliaments of the union republics. And during 1990-1991. all allied, incl. both the RSFSR and many of the autonomous republics adopted Declarations of Sovereignty, in which they challenged the priority of all-Union laws over republican laws, which began the “war of laws.”

From August to October 1990, there was a “parade of sovereignties” of the autonomous republics and autonomous regions of the RSFSR. Most autonomous republics proclaim themselves Soviet socialist republics within the RSFSR or the USSR. - Trying to somehow save the USSR, the Union leadership held a referendum in March 1991, in which more than 76% voted for “preserving the USSR as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics” (including more than 70% in the RSFSR and the Ukrainian SSR). Despite this victory, centrifugal forces continue to grow.

Stage 3. Union Treaty - State Emergency Committee and the collapse of the USSR.

3.1. A number of government and party leaders, under the slogans of preserving the unity of the country and to restore strict party-state control over all spheres of life, attempted a coup, known as the “August putsch.”

The defeat of the putsch led to the collapse of the central government of the USSR.

On November 14, 1991, seven of the twelve republics (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) decide to conclude an agreement on the creation of the Union of Sovereign States (USS) as a confederation with its capital in Minsk. Its signing was scheduled for December 9, 1991.

3.3. However, on December 8, 1991, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, where the heads of the three republics, the founders of the USSR - Belarus, Russia and Ukraine - gathered, the early agreements were rejected by Ukraine.

The heads of the 3 republics stated that the USSR was ceasing to exist and signed the Agreement on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The signing of the agreements caused a negative reaction from Gorbachev, but after the August putsch he no longer had real power. On December 21, 1991, at a meeting of presidents in Almaty (Kazakhstan), 8 more republics joined the CIS: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

On December 25, 1991, USSR President M. S. Gorbachev announced the termination of his activities as President of the USSR “for reasons of principle,” signed a decree resigning from the powers of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces and transferred control of strategic nuclear weapons to Russian President B. Yeltsin.

The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the most dramatic geopolitical situation since World War II. In fact it was real geopolitical catastrophe, the consequences of which still affect the economy, politics and social sphere of all former republics of the Soviet Union.

Collapse of the USSR

At the end of 1991, the Soviet Union, one of the two largest powers in the world, ceased to exist. What led to the collapse of the USSR? How these events took place, not so distant, but had a huge impact on the further course of human history.

Reasons for the collapse of the USSR

Of course, such a large power could not collapse just like that. There were many reasons for the collapse of the USSR. The main one was the strong dissatisfaction of the overwhelming majority of the population with the existing regime. This dissatisfaction was of a socio-economic nature. IN socially people wanted freedom: Gorbachev’s perestroika, which initially raised expectations of change, did not live up to the people’s hopes. New slogans and ideas, new leaders, more courageous and radical (at least in words), found a much greater response in people's hearts than the actions of the existing government. In economic terms, monstrous fatigue has accumulated from constant shortages, queues, from the knowledge that there, in the distant capitalist West, people live much better. At that time, few people followed oil prices, the collapse of which was one of the reasons for the catastrophe in the economy. It seemed like change the system and everything would be fine. In addition, the Soviet Union was a multinational state, and at the time of crisis, national sentiments (as well as interethnic contradictions) manifested themselves especially clearly. But another important reason collapse of the USSR became the lust for power of the new leaders. The collapse of the country and the formation of several new ones allowed them to satisfy their ambitions, and therefore they took advantage of popular discontent and tore the Soviet Union into pieces. The public mind is quite easy to manipulate when people are angry. The people themselves went to the streets to rally and the new power-hungry, of course, could not help but take advantage of this. However, entering the realm of conjecture, one can assume that other countries actively tried to take advantage of the reasons that led to the collapse of the USSR. Unlike modern “orange-pink” revolutions, the collapse of the Soviet Union was not due to their political “technologies”, but they tried to snatch all sorts of advantages for themselves, different ways supporting certain individuals from among the “new leaders”.

Fall of communist regimes

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, who started perestroika, introduced such concepts as “glasnost” and “democracy” into use. In addition, he made a sharp rapprochement with our former enemies: Western countries. The foreign policy of the USSR changed radically: “new thinking” required qualitative changes. A number of friendly meetings were held with the President of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan. In an effort to gain a reputation as a democratic leader, Mikhail Gorbachev behaved differently on the world stage than his predecessors. Sensing weakness, “our new friends” sharply became more active in the Warsaw Pact countries and began to use tactics of displacing undesirable regimes from within, which they then repeatedly used, and which later became known as “color revolutions.” The pro-Western opposition received great support, but most importantly, the people were actively instilled with the idea that the current leaders were guilty of all sins and that the “movement towards democracy” would bring people freedom and prosperity. Such propaganda ultimately led not only to the fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, but also to the collapse of the USSR: without realizing it, Gorbachev was cutting off the branch on which he was sitting. Poland was the first to rebel, then Hungary, followed by Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. The transition from communism in these countries took place peacefully, but in Romania Ceausescu decided to suppress the uprising by force. But times have changed: the troops went over to the side of the protesters, and the communist leader was shot. Among these events, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of the two Germanys stand out. The division of the former fascist power was one of the results of the Great Patriotic War and to unite them, simply the will of the people was not enough; the consent of the Soviet Union was a necessary condition. Subsequently, after the collapse of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, who agreed to the reunification of Germany, claimed that in exchange he received a promise from Western countries about the non-entry of the countries of the former Warsaw Pact into NATO, but this was not legally formalized in any way. Therefore, our “friends” rejected the fact of such an agreement. This is just one example of the numerous mistakes of Soviet diplomacy during the collapse of the USSR. The fall of communist regimes in 1989 became a prototype of what would begin to happen in the Soviet Union itself less than a year later.

Parade of sovereignties

Sensing the weakness of the regime, local leaders, indulging liberal and nationalist sentiments among the people (perhaps even encouraging them), began to take more and more power into their own hands and declare the sovereignty of their territories. While this has not yet led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has increasingly undermined it, just as pests gradually turn a tree into dust from the inside until it collapses. The population's trust and respect for the central government fell, following declarations of sovereignty, the priority of local laws over federal ones was announced, and tax revenues to the union budget were reduced, since local leaders kept them for themselves. All this was a strong blow to the economy of the USSR, which was planned, not market, and largely depended on the clear interaction of territories in the field of transport, industry, etc. And now in many areas the situation was increasingly reminiscent of the fable of the swan, the crayfish and the pike, which increasingly weakened the country’s already weak economy. This inevitably affected the people, who blamed everything on the communists and who increasingly wanted a transition to capitalism. The parade of sovereignties began with the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, then Lithuania and Georgia followed suit. In 1990 and 1991, all union republics, including the RSFSR and some autonomous republics, declared their sovereignty. For leaders, the word “sovereignty” was synonymous with the word “power”, for ordinary people- the word “freedom”. The overthrow of the communist regime and collapse of the USSR were approaching...

Referendum on preserving the USSR

An attempt was made to preserve the Soviet Union. In order to rely on broad sections of the population, the authorities offered the people to give the old state a renewed look. They seduced people with promises that the Soviet Union in a “new package” would be better than the old one and held a referendum on preserving the USSR in an updated form, which took place in March 1991. Three quarters (76%) of the population were in favor of maintaining the state, which was supposed to stop collapse of the USSR, preparation of the draft of a new Union Treaty began, the post of President of the USSR was introduced, which, naturally, became Mikhail Gorbachev. But when this opinion of the people was seriously taken into account in big games? Although the Union did not collapse, and the referendum was an all-Union one, some local “kings” (namely Georgian, Armenian, Moldavian and three Baltic) sabotaged the vote in their republics. And in the RSFSR, on June 12, 1991, elections for the President of Russia took place, which were won by Boris Yeltsin, one of Gorbachev’s opponents.

The August 1991 coup and the State Emergency Committee

However, Soviet party functionaries were not going to sit idly by and watch the collapse of the USSR, and, consequently, the deprivation of their power. Taking advantage of the absence of Gorbachev, who was on vacation in Faros, Crimea (by the way, whether he knew or not, whether the President of the USSR himself participated or did not participate in the putsch, there are different opinions), they staged a coup d'etat with the declared goal of preserving the unity of the Soviet Union. Subsequently it received the name of the August putsch. The conspirators created State Committee under a state of emergency, and Gennady Yanaev was installed at the head of the USSR. In the memory of Soviet people, the August putsch was remembered primarily for the round-the-clock showing of “Swan Lake” on TV, as well as for the unprecedented popular unity in overthrowing the “new government.” The putschists had no chance. Their success was associated with a return to earlier times, so the protest sentiments were too strong. The resistance was led by Boris Yeltsin. This was his finest hour. In three days, the State Emergency Committee was overthrown, and the legitimate President of the country was released. The country rejoiced. But Yeltsin was not the kind of person to pull chestnuts out of the fire for Gorbachev. Gradually he took more and more powers. And other leaders saw a clear weakening of central power. By the end of the year, all republics (except the Russian Federation) declared their independence and secession from the Soviet Union. The collapse of the USSR was inevitable.

Bialowieza Accords

In December of the same year, a meeting was held between Yeltsin, Kravchuk and Shushkevich (at that time - the Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus), at which the liquidation of the Soviet Union was announced and a decision was made to create the Union of Independent States (CIS). It was a strong blow. Gorbachev was indignant, but there was nothing he could do. On December 21, in the capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty, all other union republics, except the Baltic and Georgia, joined the CIS.

Date of collapse of the USSR

On December 25, 1991, the out-of-work Gorbachev announced his resignation as president “for reasons of principle” (what else could he do?) and handed over control of the “nuclear suitcase” to Yeltsin. The next day, December 26 upper house The Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted Declaration No. 142-N, which stated the termination of the existence of the state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In addition, a number of administrative institutions of the former Soviet Union were liquidated. This day is legally considered the date of the collapse of the USSR.

Thus occurred the liquidation of one of the largest and most powerful powers in history, due both to the “help of Western friends” and to the internal incapacity of the existing Soviet system.