The Soviet Coup: Day One, August 19th 1991 

It’s somewhat ironic the coup leaders used the pretense of Gorbachev’s “poor health” to legitimize their actions when Gorbachev is still alive as of 3/3/2022

The last time Yeltsin was sober.

It's hard to believe this happened 30 years ago. Great piece of history.

Gorbachev is still alive in 2022, and still gives interviews. But the gang of 8 that tried to overthrow him are all deceased.

As I recall, the soldiers had no clue why they were ordered to Moscow and milled about the city in confusion. The coup quickly collapsed and the Soviet Union with it.

"Yeltsin is our only hope" i wonder if she tought the same, once her son was drafted into the army to fight in chechnya.

Must have occurred early in the day as Yeltsin isn’t even buzzed yet.

"Yeltsin is our only hope"- meanwhile Yeltsin becomes the worst thing that ever happened to Russia.

Imagine just driving to work and seeing a bunch military tanks drive alongside you

In 1988 our Professor of Western Civilization told us, in case we didn't notice, these are historic times for the Soviet Union and the world.

In retrospect I recall that some of us expected changes in the Soviet Union, after the 1989 collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, but no one foresaw the coup and the rapid collapse of USSR in December 1991. The coup had weakened Gorbachev more than it was apparent at the time.

....and finally, Yeltsin died in 2007, and Gorbachev is still alive in 2018. 😂😂😂

"...those who have the normal, honest hearts of Russian citizens will never allow the army to fight its own people."

I was on the Norwegian Soviet border when this was coming down. A lot of Norwegian troops on the road as we travelled to Kirkenes. Tension were high within NATO

I love that this happened in August. Cause not even Russia would invade Russia in winter.

Traitors are more dangerous than the most powerful enemy.

Electing such a drunk was the worst mistake

8:08 This man gets it. Maybe our current “leaders” should listen to him.

I wish they hadn't cut the part where Yeltsin demanded the safe return of the Gorbachevs. That was so inspiring.

2:35 the man standing on the tank on the far right is Viktor Zolotov. Current Director of the National Guard of Russia (Rosgvardiya) and a member of the Security Council of Russia.

"The Economy cannot be developt with tanks", well said!

Watching during 2023 coup. Anyone else?

Ah yes his poor health he’s literally still alive in 2022 😂😂

The actual irony is that in the long run, Glasnost and the rise of Yeltsin was what allowed the original oligarchs to come into being, which is what led to Russia's economic decline and Putin's actions today.

*”IT’S JUST A PRANK, COMRADE!”*

I read that the government held a referendum a few months before the coup asking people if they wanted the union to survive, but not necessarily as a communist country, rather, it would be a republic. Around 3/4 of the people said yes. If the coup hadn’t happened, the union might not have collapsed and Russia would be much larger.

The one moment Yeltsin was sober.

"The economy cannot be developed by tanks." so true words. I wish Putin had also learnt this.

Fun fact, all the way to the right of Yeltsin is Zolotov, who is now the head of the Russian national guard

This and the first Gulf War are among my earliest memories...

"The economy cannot be developed with tanks." I was in highschool when this aired.

Once again, YT Algo knows things we don't, suddenly this pops up in everyone's recommended to prepare us for events yet to occur this week--

Russia reminds one of a person who has been so abused as a child that they end up spending all their adult years paranoid and lashing out against perceived enemies.

Рекомендации ютаба радуют, как и всегда

You: Why are you recommending this now? Google: *Give it a few days*

What an important archive. Thanks 4 shearing

Oh, Algorithm, what have you brought us today? A message for the future?

What is really tragic about this was that the USSR had already moved to being a multi-party liberal democracy and was about to sign an internal treaty that enshrined a new union, that respected the democratic sovereignty of each constituent republic, acknowledging the departure of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia. The new Union of Soviet *Sovereign* Republics would've been like the remaining 9 republics' version of the EU and NATO combined. Instead, the coup hastened a collapse which led to great poverty and the current war in Ukraine today.

What's plain is when KGB head as well as minister of defense asked army and internal troops to storm Yeltsin's compound and arrest him, the men who actually had guns in their hands and tank wheels under their control dithered, then refused; Only a few years later, when Yeltsin asked the military to do essentially the same thing for him against his opponents, ultimately the military obeyed and you saw tank firing at opposition building: point is there are reasons SU went down.

3:13 that man in a black suit is now the head of repression service - "rosgvardia" (national guard). How things change.

I'm always annoyed thinking about this, so many Russians call out Gorbachev for the loss and say the coup was justified, the coup happened in August and was cited in the Ukrainian declaration of Independence written shortly after the coup, Gorbachev officially dissolved the USSR in December.. do they not connect the dots? there was no USSR left by December

I remember being up all night watching this in Seattle.

1991: Gorbachev has poor health (and he still is alive 30 years later)

The coup failed for one reason.The failure to take out yeltsin.Yes other factors played their part,but if Yeltsin had been arrested,all the other factors would not have happened. Any opposition in order to achieve final victory,must have a leader.Someone who can harness and organize and express people's complaints etc. Yeltsin was that person. In many ways in that time,the only one. Had the coups leaders had him,the coup would have have no real organized opposition,and as per Soviet history,the coup would have succeeded. Yeltsin,was brilliant in that he said at that time,he was only fighting to bring back the Soviet president and the Soviet constitutional order,thereby gaining allies from Gorbacheves allies and moderate communists as well as anti Soviet forces in the people,army and leaders. While in fact Yeltsin was really fighting for the destruction of the Soviet state. If he failed and the coup won he was finished. If he won,he knew he would have the means to finish not save Gorbachev,and the Soviet state. The coup plotters despite their high positions in the Soviet state tried to do a coup using Humane Gorbachev style methods,,while overthrowing him. They thought that just being in power and based on Soviet systems past power and fear,that when orders are given,that's it.But Gorbachev had already weakened the fear system and put other spheres of power in Soviet system that would fatally weaken them. Plus it was done on the spur of the moment and the military and KGB were not given orders at the outset or had unreliable leaders to carry them out. Poorly planned and was it seems done on a moment's notice. Sadly,most of the people who rallied to Yeltsin,did so to bring back Gorbachev and law. What they got was a ruthless man only concearned about himself and power,who sold the Russian state to the highest bidder. Destroying the life's of the Russian people,humiliating and tearing apart the Russian state.Leading to the Russian people's hatred of democracy,USA and leading to Putin. Something that has cost our nation greatly. But in the end cost the Russian people the most.As they still don't have the freedoms they so deserve to have.

Ready for the sequel!

I remember when this was reported and I thought there would be a nuclear war the way it was reported. The networks broke through and interrupted programming with an “emergency” broadcast. I was terrified until I realized it was sensationalized.

The Soviet Union was born in the Bolshevik coup d’etat of 1917 and dissolved with the failed coup of 1991. From dust to dust.

And it looks like it's happening again. June 23rd, 2023

if you ever feel stupid just remember Russian military fired at its own Parliament Building lmao

"Перемен Требовали наши сердца Ну а теперь Поедим мы дружно говна"

Prigozhin didn’t even make it to the Kremlin :(

So if these coup leaders brought tanks into Moscow, and had control of most of the military, how did yeltsin later get control of it?

To be fair the anti-Yeltsin /Anti-Gorbachev coup d’état people were right in the end. Perestroika and the other reforms did lead to the break up of the Soviet union and Yeltsin‘s presidency whats a complete disaster.

Winds of Change.

Seeing this now I wonder how close Putin was to the head of the KGB back then. The KGB always hated democratic reforms.

Wow. This was a few days before I was born and it looks so damn old. Where has time gone...

"You see, the economy cannot be developed by tanks"...such a valuable, timeless insight, worthwhile to be remembered today.

2:35 The man on the extreme right in the black suite is Viktor Zolotov- now he is the head of National Guard and Putin's closest supporter and enforcer.

My God, did they know Yeltsin was a boob? A disastrous one at that.

YT algo remains undefeated

oh boy... and the youtube algorithm has brought us all here... will history repeat itself?

This has all happened before, it is happening again.

“The economy cannot be developed by tanks” mannnn Russia didn’t learn lol.

Stalin : I'm disappointed

2022 or 2023 the fall of Putin?

thank you.how at age 66 have I never seen this?

The Soviet Union may be gone but Soviet thinking is alive and well in the Kremlin.

8:07 The wisest words ever spoken in Russia, if only his grandfather had said that in October 1917 and been heeded.

Remember when news was like this and not cut up and set up to serve a narrative

KGB officer: Yeah I kinda felt a little bad about silencing the media, but... man, what a rush 🤣

So much of this is still true to this day.

Hopefully history will repeat itself in this instance

It needs to happen again

It's absurd to think that they want this to be repeated.

Good to know nothing really changed on the inside just got a nice face lift for a few decades

I hope Gorbachev makes a swift recovery so he can get back to being President...

“You see, the economy cannot be developed by tanks”

2:05 - Crowd: “Yeltsin, Yeltsin!” Yeltsin: “Vodka! Vodka!” I’m mostly joking, but the coup plotters were absolutely soused.

Unfortunately Gorbachev died this week. How sad. Best Anti Soviet leader of the Soviet Union ever

ECONOMIC CAN'T BE DEVELOPED BY TANK

I love how people just keep driving around among the armored vehicles. Like it’s a normal thing.

It's 2031 Gorbachev still alive.

wow top notch journalism, doesnt even compare to the tripe they make nowadays

Boris Yeltsin had Czarist background on joining Communist Party in 1970s. He was bourgeois. Difficult entry. But took revenge from Communist Party in 1989.

It’s crazy I remember that lame crowd chanting “yeltsin! Yeltsin!” Softly. Guess I saw it in 1991.

Time for a sequel

Quality reporting

Just think...some of those tanks might be burning wreckage in Ukraine right now

1991 and the Russian equipment is still the same 30 years on.

absolute disaster, not because the USSR was good, but because of what came after

and on August 19th 1991, Nicholas Romanov laughed from his grave

Thanks RU-vid recommended

The one day when Yeltsin was sober

''We have our full support of Yeltsin he is our only hope'', only if they knew what will become of Russia because of Yeltsin they wouldn't say that.

In Tiananmen Square they simply brought in troops who had no clue and started shooting.

Looks like the algorithm got me again

Rest in nightmare, Boris and Mikhail. Thanks for happy youth of 1990s

Ironic how many people disliked Gorbachov because he introduced liberal policies in the SU and then it just became an authoritarian capitalists nation

"They bring us back to the Cold War period, and the isolation of the Soviet Union from the international community" Strange how right he was about where Russia was going after 1991. From 2022, Russia has decided to again become a Pariah state. It's a shame for such a beautiful people to disgrace themselves.

All those applauding Yeltsin would regret it so hard a few years later