In August 1991, a coup d'état attempt took place in the Soviet Union, targeting the reformist leader Mikhail Gorbachev. While Gorbachev was vacationing in Foros, an emergency committee comprising hardline communists aimed to seize control of the government and reverse his policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). On August 19, Gorbachev was placed under house arrest while the coup leaders declared a state of emergency, claiming they were acting to save the country from chaos. This move was in direct response to widespread discontent over Gorbachev's reforms, which many traditionalists felt threatened the foundations of communist power and the Soviet state itself.
During the coup, tanks were deployed in Moscow, and the military was ordered to suppress any opposition. However, the plan quickly unraveled as thousands of citizens, led by the Russian President Boris Yeltsin, rallied in defense of democracy, effectively beginning a counter-movement against the coup leaders. As the situation escalated, public outcry against the coup intensified, overwhelming the attempts of hardliners to maintain control.
By the end of the coup on August 21, it became clear that the hardliners had failed, marking a pivotal shift in the power dynamic of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev returned to power, but the event significantly weakened his position and catalyzed calls for independence among various Soviet republics.