TOPIC 5 Flashcards
Conflict with Yeltsin
12th June 1991: Boris Yeltsin was elected President of the Russian Republic by universal suffrage
- He dominated the largest republic in the USSR
- Yeltsin attacked the power of the Communist Party in the daily life of the Russian people
- He banned the party from operating in all workplaces
18th – 21st August 1991; a group of hard-line Commuists attempted to overthrow Gorbachev in a coup d’état in order to restore the authority of the Communist Party
- The coup failed
o Yeltsin opposed it and its leaders hesitated
o Gorbachev lost authority and Yeltsin became the more significant leader
23rd August 1991: Yeltsin announced the suspensión of all activities of teh Russian Communist Party, whose principal members hada ll supported the coup d’état
25th December 1991: Gorbachev resigned as President and Yeltsin became President of Russia
Conflict with different Nationalities
The Soviet government had allowed referndums on Independence to take place in the Baltic States
9th February 1991: 90% of the voters – in favor of independence of Lithuania
3rd March 1991:
- 74% of voters – in favor of independence of Latvia
- 78% of voters – in favour of independence of Estonia
17th March: referendum on the maintaince of the USSR – majority of 76% in favor of maintaining the union
20th – 21st August 1991: Estonia and Latvia declared their independence
24th August 1991: Gorbachev resigned as Secretary General of the communist party
8th December: Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belorussia met in a conference at Minsk and declared that the USSR no longer existed – proposed a Commonwealth of independent states
21st December 1991: Treaty of Alma-Ata was signed
- Majority of the former soviet republic agreed to join the Commonwealth of Independent states
- Included Armenia, Belorussia, Kazakhstan, Kyrhyzstan, Moldavia, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan
31st December – 1st January 1992: USSR formally ceased to exist
