Soviet Communist Party Suspended: USSR Crumbles
The Supreme Soviet suspended all activities of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on August 29, 1991, eight days after the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. The party that had governed the world's largest country for 74 years was stripped of its property, banned from government buildings, and denied access to state media. The suspension was a direct consequence of the coup plotters' incompetence: hardliners had tried to overthrow Gorbachev to preserve the union but instead accelerated its collapse. Boris Yeltsin, who had stood on a tank to rally resistance against the coup, emerged as the dominant political figure. The Soviet Union formally dissolved on December 26, 1991, four months after the party suspension.
August 29, 1991
35 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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