- Unlimited Users & Remote Access Included
- Instant Online Activation When You Order
-
www.online.salempress.com
Defining Documents in World History: The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union
Few times in recent history has a world superpower declined, let alone crumbled, but that is exactly what happened on December 31, 1991, when the Soviet Union was dissolved and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was formed.
What began with an attempted coup against then-president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), Mikhail Gorbachev, in August 1991, ended with the creation of 15 independent countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
The coup against Gorbachev, led by a number of senior government figures, lasted only from August 18 to 21, and failed after Gorbachev refused to cooperate and KGB and army officers refused to follow the orders of the coup’s leaders. The public also rose up, rallied by Russian president Boris Yeltsin, who they had democratically elected. Gone were the old Soviet days where orders from above were to be blindly obeyed; the spirit of democratization had swept the country since Gorbachev rose to power in 1985, and permanent change was on the horizon. In the wake of the coup, participants were purged, statues of the old guard were symbolically toppled, and Gorbachev resigned as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) – a move that signaled the end of a declining party that once wielded immense power across the U.S.S.R. With Gorbachev back in office, the republics of the Soviet Union rushed to seize the moment and declare independence, while Russian President Boris Yeltsin reshaped the nature and status of the Russian government, leading the charge to finally dismantle the Soviet Union and put Russia in control of most functions of the Soviet government. Gorbachev resigned the Soviet presidency on December 25, 1991, and the Soviet Union was officially dissolved on December 31, 1991. Following this monumental yet relatively peaceful shift in power, the U.S. and other world powers worked with Russia and the newly formed independent countries diplomatically to secure the nuclear arsenal of the former Soviet Union. These events would, however, set the stage for future tensions to surface between Russia, the formerly Soviet countries, and Western nations once Vladimir Putin succeeded Yeltsin in 1999.
These volumes explore the development of these events on the world stage, how they affected the politics and culture of the time, and the long-lasting reverberations of the Soviet Union’s collapse that are still being felt today with Russia’s actions against Ukraine, among other recent events. Documents examined include legislative documents, political speeches, historical accounts, news articles, and more.
About the Series
The Defining Documents series provides in-depth commentary and analysis on the most important primary source documents in the United States and the world. The Defining Documents series is perfect for students, those researching a particular era, or anyone interested in world history. Visit www.salempress.com for more information about additional titles in this series.
FREE ONLINE ACCESS
Libraries and schools purchasing the printed version of any Salem Press title get complimentary online access to that title on our new online database, http://online.salempress.com. Combining Salem's Literature, History, Health, Science and Careers titles, students and researchers can now access all of their Salem content in one comprehensive site. Any school or library with print reference content in Salem Press' database is entitled to online access to that content. This access is an inherent part of our product.
