The State Emergency Committee and the August putsch: what is the purpose and course of events

The events that took place from August 18 to 21, 1991, during which an attempted coup d'état was attempted, was called the August putsch. During this period, the highest leadership of the USSR was blocked by President Gorbachev, with the further introduction of a state of emergency in the country, and the country's administration was taken by the created "coup plotters" of the State Emergency Committee.

Contents:

• What is the "August putsch" and "GKCHP"?
  
• 
  
• Objectives
  
• Progress of events

What is the "August putsch" and "GKCHP"?

The State Emergency Committee was planning to realize its goals by imposing a state of emergency in the country and blocking Gorbachev in the country in the Crimea. At the same time, troops and special units of the KGB were introduced to Moscow.

The structure of the State Emergency Committee included almost all heads of the highest echelon of power:

• Yanaev Gennady Ivanovich ( vice-president of the USSR, acting president of the USSR from 19 to 21 August 1991).


• Baklanov Oleg Dmitrievich ( First Deputy Chairman of the USSR Defense Council).


• Kryuchkov Vladimir Alexandrovich ( chairman of the KGB of the USSR).


• Pavlov Valentin Sergeevich ( Prime Minister of the USSR).


• Pugo Boris Karlovich ( Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR).


• Yazov Dmitry Timofeevich ( Minister of Defense of the USSR).


• Starodubtsev Vasily Alexandrovich ( member of the Central Committee of the CPSU).


• Tizyakov Alexander Ivanovich ( President of the Association of State Enterprises and Associations of Industry, Construction, Transport and Communications of the USSR).

As can be seen from the list of participants, the leadership of the State Emergency Committee are the first persons of the state who follow Gorbachev in the hierarchy, so we can assume that even his closest associates were dissatisfied with Gorbachev's activity. Despite the fact that the vice president Yanaev started acting as president, the actual head of the process was KGB chairman Kryuchkov.

The period of the so-called GKChP activity was officially regarded and named as the August putsch.


Attempts by the State Emergency Committee to seize power were unsuccessful, on August 22 all members of this committee were arrested, and the legitimate president took up his duties.

The political and state crisis in the USSR reached its apogee by 1991, according to many experts, the state inevitably had to survive a few months, as there were very many reasons for the collapse of the USSR, even without the creation of the Emergency Committee, which actually acted as a catalyst for the collapse of the country.

Until now, there is no common opinion in society about the State Emergency Committee and the August putsch. Someone thinks that this was an attempt of a coup d'etat, with the goal of seizing power, and someone-that this was the last desperate attempt to save the Soviet Union from a clearly oncoming collapse.

Objectives of the Emergency Committee

At that time no one had any doubts that Gorbachev's "Perestroika" policy was clearly a failure. The standard of living in the country has deteriorated significantly: prices have constantly grown, money has depreciated, and in stores there was a huge deficit of all types of goods. In addition, the control of the "center" over the republics weakened: in the RSFSR there was already a "own" president, and in the Baltic republics there were protest moods.


Government objectives

Initially, the "putschists" wanted to preserve the integrity of the USSR.The fact is that on August 20 it was planned to sign a new union treaty between the republics that are part of the USSR, which proposed the creation of a confederation between these states( the Union of Sovereign States), which, in fact, meant the actual disintegration of the USSR and the formation of a new union based on independent republics. This is exactly what the GKCHPisty wanted to prevent, which was the result of such a new treaty, we can see in the example of the CIS, with the creation of which the Soviet Union broke up and the republics began to exist independently of each other.

Some historians believe that the main goal of the State Emergency Committee was to preserve their posts, since when signing a new union treaty their powers or posts in general would be virtually abolished. Nevertheless, after the failure of the coup, Yanaev claimed that the members of the State Emergency Committee did not hold on to their posts.

Policy Objectives

The political objectives of the Emergency Committee were to carry out economic and social reforms. The people were tired of a hard life and really really wanted to change, as it was sung in the popular song of V. Tsoi. The standard of living has inexorably fallen, the crisis has engulfed practically all spheres of life in the USSR, and the only way out of this situation, according to the "putschists", was the shift from Gorbachev's post and the change in the country's political course.

GKChP promised to freeze and reduce prices, as well as free to distribute land areas of 15 acres. As such, the plan of actions and economic steps of the Emergency Committee did not sound, most likely, they did not have such specific action plans.

The course of events

The events of the August putsch unfolded as follows.

August 18

During his vacation, in Foros on the state. According to the instructions of the "putschists", the president of the USSR, Gorbachev, was blocked by specially created units, while all communication channels were cut off.

August 19

From 8 am the radio announcers read a message that, for health reasons, the president of the USSR Gorbachev can not fulfill his duties, and these powers pass to the vice-president of the USSR Yanaev. Also in the message was said about the introduction on the territory of the USSR of a state of emergency and for the effective administration of the country the State Emergency Committee is formed.

All TV programs are canceled on central television and concerts are broadcast, including the famous ballet "Swan Lake".Broadcasting of other channels is disabled. Moscow is also broadcasting a radio station ECHO Moscow.

The country cottage of the President of the RSFSR Yeltsin is surrounded by employees of the Alpha division. As soon as he finds out about the creation of the State Emergency Committee and about the attempts of the state.coup - decides to go to the White House. The commander of Alpha is given a command to release Yeltsin from the dacha to Moscow, but this decision, in fact, became fatal for the Emergency Committee.

Upon arrival in Moscow, Yeltsin and other leaders of the RSFSR give a press conference, which the State Emergency Committee does not recognize, calling their actions a coup, and calling everyone to a general strike. People begin to get drawn to the White House. Yeltsin's statement to Moscow is broadcast by the radio station ECHO of Moscow.

Meanwhile, the "putschists" are sending a tank battalion to the White House, which, after not receiving further orders from the command, after negotiations and the psychological pressure of the crowd, passes to the side of the people and Yeltsin. Then there is a landmark historic event: Yeltsin reads an appeal to the citizens from one of the tanks, in which he declares the illegality of the State Emergency Committee and their decrees, that Gorbachev is blocked at the dacha and must speak to the people, convenes a congress of people's deputies of the USSR, and calls for a general strike.



The assembled people are building barricades of trolleybuses and metal items, with the aim of blocking the approaches to the White House of heavy military equipment.

In the evening, the State Emergency Committee holds a press conference, which is more like the justification of its actions than for any statements. The video clearly shows that the "putschists" are worried. This press conference you can see below.



From the evening news release of the program "Time" the country learns about the developments. Even then it becomes clear that the coup d'état of the "putschists" does not work.



August 20

In the morning people gather to the White House, where a 200,000-strong rally is held against the coup d'état. In the evening, the demonstrators are preparing for the assault. In Moscow, a curfew is introduced. The special unit Alfa refuses to carry out the order for the assault. As a result of the tank assault, three civilians are killed. Attempt of the assault failed.

August 21

Understanding the failure of the State Emergency Committee, members of its committee decided to go to Gorbachev in Foros, but he refuses to accept them. Along with this in Foros for Gorbachev fly representatives of the RSFSR.

August 22

00:04 Gorbachev arrives in Moscow, these images also became historical. After that, he reads the address to the people on television.



Gorbachev then holds a press conference in which he assesses the events. After this press conference, the Emergency Committee is practically liquidated and the August putsch is coming to an end.



At a rally on August 22, protesters decide to make the flag of the RSFSR a pre-revolutionary tricolor: white, red, blue flag. And at midnight, the monument to Dzerzhinsky, opposite the KGB, was dismantled at the request of the demonstrators.

After these events, the statehood of the USSR begins to actively collapse, with the declaration of independence by Ukraine, then these processes of proclaiming independence rolled like a snowball.

All the participants and accomplices of the State Emergency Committee were arrested. In 1993, a lawsuit began over them, which for almost all of them ended in an amnesty. General Varennikov refused to grant amnesty, but was acquitted, since the court did not see criminal acts in his actions.

On the events of this period a lot of documentaries have been shot. You can see a video chronicle of those days in this video.



Fragment of the transfer The other day, dedicated to the August putsch.