Commonwealth of Independent States. An outline of modern history

25 years ago, one of the most important geopolitical events took place in the world: the collapse Soviet Union with the simultaneous formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

2016 became a jubilee year for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). For the 25th anniversary of the association, TASS has collected basic facts about the organization, which is neither a state nor a supranational entity.

How did the CIS come about?

  • On December 8, 1991, President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Belarus Stanislav Shushkevich and President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk in his residence in Viskuli (Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarus) ascertained the collapse of the USSR and signed the Agreement on the creation of the CIS. The preamble of the document emphasized that from that moment on, the USSR, as a subject international law and geopolitical reality ceased to exist.
  • On December 13, leaders of other republics announced their desire to join the CIS the former Soviet Union.
  • On December 21, 1991, in Alma-Ata, at a meeting of the heads of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine, the Alma-Ata Declaration and Protocol to the Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS were adopted.
  • The Alma-Ata meeting completed the process of transforming the former republics of the USSR into sovereign states. The Declaration reaffirmed the mutual recognition of the sovereignty and inviolability of borders, emphasized that the interaction of the CIS members would be carried out on the principle of equality through coordinating institutions.

Who does the CIS have in common?

The CIS is a regional interstate organization uniting 11 countries of the post-Soviet space

  • Azerbaijan (1991)
  • Armenia (1991)
  • Belarus (1991)
  • Kazakhstan (1991)
  • Kyrgyzstan (1991)
  • Moldova (1991)
  • Russia (1991)
  • Tajikistan (1991)
  • Uzbekistan (1991)
  • Ukraine (as a State Party - 1991)
  • Turkmenistan (in the status of associate member - 2005)

What do “Member State”, “Member State” and “Associate Member” mean?

  • According to the Charter, member states of the Commonwealth are only member states that have acceded to the CIS Charter within one year after its adoption.
  • The Commonwealth Charter was adopted on January 22, 1993, at the same time it was signed by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In the same year, Azerbaijan and Georgia joined the Charter, in 1994 - Moldova.
  • Ukraine and Turkmenistan are not full members, since they have not ratified the CIS Charter .
  • Since December 1991, Ukraine has had the status of a State Party.
  • Turkmenistan was a state party from December 1991 to August 2005, from August 2005 - an associate member. Associate member status is granted to a state wishing to participate only in certain types of activities of the organization.
  • No CIS document makes a distinction between the status of members and participants of the Commonwealth.

Which body is the highest in the CIS?

  • The Council of Heads of State, in which all 11 countries are represented.

For what tasks does the association exist?

  • cooperation in political, economic, social, cultural and other fields
  • creation of a common economic space
  • ensuring human rights and freedoms, peace and security
  • fighting organized crime
  • cooperation in the field of defense policy and the protection of external borders, etc.

Where is the headquarters of the Association's Executive Committee?

  • in Minsk (Belarus)

What is the working language in the CIS?

  • Russian.

What is the principle of chairmanship in the organization?

  • The chairmanship in the bodies of the CIS is carried out alternately by each member state of the Commonwealth, represented by its representative, on the basis of the principle of rotation, for a period of not more than one year.
  • On January 1, 2016, the chairmanship in the CIS passed to Kyrgyzstan.
  • Russia will chair in 2017

How to join and leave an association?

  • The Commonwealth Charter provides that any state that shares the goals and principles of the organization and accepts the obligations contained in the Charter can become a member of the CIS by joining it with the consent of all member states.
  • According to Article 9 of the Charter, a member state has the right to withdraw from the Commonwealth. To do this, it is necessary to notify the depositary of the CIS Charter (Belarus) 12 months before the expected release of the intention in writing. At the same time, all the obligations of this state that arose during the period of its participation in the organization must be fully fulfilled by it.

Which countries and under what circumstances enjoyed the right to leave the CIS?

  • Only one country, Georgia, took advantage of the right to leave the CIS.
  • The decision to withdraw Georgia from the Commonwealth was made by the leadership of this country after the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict in August 2008.
  • On August 12, 2008, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili made a statement on the country's withdrawal from the CIS.
  • On August 14, the parliament of the republic adopted a resolution on Georgia's withdrawal from three agreements: the Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS of December 8, 1991, the CIS Charter of January 22, 1993, and the Treaty on the Establishment of the CIS Economic Union of September 24, 1993.
  • On August 18, the Georgian Foreign Ministry sent a note to the CIS Executive Committee. The decision came into force a year later.
  • Since August 18, 2009 Georgia is not a member state of the CIS.

Which countries and under what circumstances made statements about leaving the CIS?

  • On March 19, 2014, Yevhen Perebeinos, Director of the Information Policy Department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, announced that Ukraine was suspending its chairmanship in the CIS. In addition, "Ukraine reserves the right to consider the feasibility of further participation in the activities of the CIS."
  • The decision by the Ukrainian side was made after the March 16 referendum on the status of Crimea and Sevastopol and their entry into Russia.
  • In 2014, there were numerous reports about the possibility of Ukraine's withdrawal from the CIS, but the country did not submit an official application.
CIS - Commonwealth of Independent States - an abbreviation for the name of the new union of the former Soviet republics of the USSR, which became independent states after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991

The formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) took place on December 8, 1991 as a result of the signing in Viskuli (Brest region, Belarus) by the heads of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus of the corresponding agreement

List of CIS member countries (2016)

  • Azerbaijan
  • Armenia
  • Belarus
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Moldavia
  • Russia
  • Tajikistan
  • Uzbekistan

    CIS members are those states that, within 1 year (from January 22, 1993 to January 22, 1994), assumed the obligations arising from the Charter adopted on January 22, 1993 by the Council of Heads of State. Ukraine and Turkmenistan Charter not signed

    In addition, the CIS Charter contains the concept of a founding state of the CIS. The founding state of the CIS is considered to be the state whose parliament has ratified the Agreement on the Establishment of the CIS of December 8, 1991 and the Protocol to this Agreement of December 21, 1991. Turkmenistan has ratified these documents. Ukraine has only ratified the Agreement. Thus, Ukraine and Turkmenistan are the founders of the CIS, but not its members.

    The protocol of December 21, 1991 was not ratified by the parliaments of Russia and Ukraine, and on March 5, 2003, the Committee of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for CIS affairs came to the conclusion that the Russian Federation is de jure not a state - the founder of the CIS and a state - a member

History of the creation of the CIS

  • 1991, December 8 - the heads of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus Kravchuk, Yeltsin and Shushkevich signed an agreement on the creation of the CIS (Belovesh Agreement)
  • 1991, December 10 - The agreement was ratified by the parliaments of Belarus and Ukraine

Ratification is the legalization of a document (for example, an agreement) by its approval by the relevant authority of each of the parties. That is, ratification is the consent of the state to fulfill the terms of the treaty.

  • 1991, December 12 - The agreement was ratified by the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation
  • 1991, December 13 - meeting in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) of the heads of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. who have agreed to the entry of their countries into the CIS
  • 1991, December 21 - in Alma-Ata the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine adopted the Declaration on the goals and principles of the CIS and signed the Protocol to the agreement on the establishment of the CIS

    Protocol
    to the Agreement on the Creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, signed on December 8, 1991 in Minsk by the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation (RSFSR), Ukraine
    The Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation (RSFSR), the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and Ukraine on an equal footing and as the High Contracting Parties form the Commonwealth of Independent States.
    The Agreement on the Creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States shall enter into force for each of the High Contracting Parties from the moment of its ratification.
    On the basis of the Agreement on the Establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States and taking into account the reservations made during its ratification, documents will be developed regulating cooperation within the framework of the Commonwealth.
    This Protocol is part of Agreement on the Creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
    Done in the city of Alma-Ata on December 21, 1991 in one copy in the Azerbaijani, Armenian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Moldavian, Russian, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek and Ukrainian languages. All texts are equally authentic. The original copy is kept in the archives of the Government of the Republic of Belarus, which will send to the High Contracting Parties a certified copy of this Protocol

  • 1991, December 30 - in Minsk, at another meeting of the heads of the CIS states, the supreme body of the CIS was established - the Council of Heads of State
  • 1992, October 9 - the CIS TV channel "Mir" was created
  • 1993, January 22 - the CIS Charter was adopted in Minsk
  • 1993, March 15 - Kazakhstan was the first of the post-Soviet republics to ratify the CIS Charter
  • 1993, December 9 - Georgia ratified the CIS Charter
  • 1994, April 26 - Moldova was the last of the post-Soviet republics to ratify the CIS Charter
  • 1999, April 2 - the Executive Committee of the CIS was created
  • 2000, June 21 - the CIS Anti-Terrorist Center was created
  • 2008, August 14 - The Parliament of Georgia made a decision on the country's withdrawal from the CIS
  • 2009, August 18 - Georgia officially ceased to be a member of the CIS

CIS goals

  • Cooperation in the economy
  • Cooperation in the field of ecology
  • Cooperation in the field of ensuring the rights and freedoms of CIS citizens
  • Military cooperation

The unified command of the military-strategic forces and the unified control over nuclear weapons have been preserved, issues of defense and protection of external borders are being jointly resolved.

  • Cooperation in the development of transport, communications, energy systems
  • Cooperation in the fight against crime
  • Cooperation in migration policy

CIS governing bodies

  • CIS Heads of State Council
  • Council of CIS Heads of Government
  • CIS Executive Committee
  • CIS Council of Foreign Ministers
  • CIS Defense Ministers Council
  • Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs of the CIS countries
  • Council of the Joint Armed Forces of the CIS countries
  • Council of Commanders of Border Troops of the CIS Countries
  • Council of Heads of Security Agencies of the CIS Countries
  • Interstate Economic Council of the CIS
  • CIS Interparliamentary Assembly

    On October 28, 2016, a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was held in Minsk. Leader of Belarus Lukashenko: “... a critical mass of accumulated questions in Belarus causes anxious sentiments in Belarus about the prospects ... of the CIS ... Well-founded criticism has intensified in our countries in connection with dissatisfaction with both the pace and the practical results of the development of integration. There are alarming signals from business ... it is worth taking a critical look at the legal framework of the CIS. For 25 years we have signed an incredible amount of decisions, contracts and agreements. Are they all relevant and needed today? I really want us to be able to get clear answers during the Russian presidency in 2017: in the name of what was the integration carried out all these years and what goal is ultimately pursued? "

The failure of the August putsch (19-21 August 1991) dramatically changed the situation in the country. Changes have taken place, first of all, in the field of interethnic relations. Accelerated decay USSR... Union republics declared themselves independent states. In September 1991, at the Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR, it decided to terminate its powers as the highest authority in the country. The President of the USSR M.S.Gorbachev made attempts to work out and conclude a new Union Treaty. However, it became more and more obvious that it was impossible to preserve any single state formation on the territory of the USSR.

On December 8, 1991, the leaders of the three republics - Belarus, Russia, Ukraine - republics, which signed the treaty on the formation of the USSR in 1922, announced the termination of its existence. The parties noted that "negotiations on the preparation of a new Union Treaty have reached an impasse, the objective process of the republics leaving the USSR and the formation of independent states has become a reality" and announced the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Somewhat later, other former Soviet republics, with the exception of the Baltic countries and Georgia, joined the Commonwealth. On December 21, in Alma-Ata, the Declaration of the CIS Member States was adopted. The participants of the Alma-Ata meeting stated the territorial integrity of the states belonging to the Commonwealth, the inviolability of the existing borders, preserved the united command of the military-strategic forces and the single control over nuclear weapons, and also guaranteed the fulfillment of the international obligations of the former USSR.

December 25 was the last day of work of the President of the USSR M.S. Gorbachev. The USSR ceased to exist.

The formation of the CIS was not easy. Frictions and conflicts of varying severity arose between the former Soviet republics. The most dangerous disagreements arose between Russia and Ukraine over the fate of the Black Sea Fleet (Russia classified the fleet as a strategic force under the joint command of the CIS countries; Ukraine believed that almost the entire fleet should belong to it), Crimea (conquered in the second half of the 18th century Russia and transferred in 1954 by NS Khrushchev to Ukraine), economic relations. Despite the current and possible future difficulties in relations between the CIS countries, his education had a positive significance. It interrupted the process of the chaotic disintegration of the Union and contributed to the coordination of actions between the republics of the former USSR.

The newly independent states received international support and recognition. The assertion of the international authority of Russia was facilitated by the visits of its President Boris N. Yeltsin to Italy, the USA, England, Canada, France in late 1991 - early 1992, new initiatives of the Russian leadership in the field of arms limitation and reduction. Russia removed from combat duty about 600 strategic missiles, eliminated 130 silo launchers for intercontinental missiles, decided to halt the production of certain types of heavy bombers, halved the number of nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles on combat patrol, announced a reduction of 700 thousand. a man of the Armed Forces of the former USSR.

At the meeting of the Russian and American presidents - B.N. Yeltsin and George W. Bush adopted the Camp David Declaration. It outlined a new formula for the relationship between the two countries: "Russia and the United States do not see each other as potential adversaries. Their relationship is now characterized by friendship and partnership based on mutual trust, respect and a shared commitment to democracy and economic freedom."

The world community has provided the CIS countries with significant assistance with food supplies and loans. However, the absence of favorable economic and legal conditions is holding back investments in the economies of the Commonwealth states.

Liberation from the central union authorities allowed independent Russia to quickly and energetically embark on the path of broad economic transformations.

The difficult economic situation inherited from the past forced the Russian government to begin economic reform with price liberalization, high taxation levels, and cuts in social programs. All this was aimed at stabilizing the financial situation, reducing the state budget deficit, and opening the way for the country to enter international economic and financial organizations. At the same time, the process of privatization of enterprises is delayed, there are serious bureaucratic obstacles to the opening and functioning of private firms.

Forced tough economic measures caused a decrease in the living standards of the population, contributed to the emergence of discontent, increased social tension in society. In January - February 1992, rallies were held in Moscow and other cities, the participants of which demanded a return to the old, to the communist system, a planned distribution economy, to the former Soviet empire, opposed reforms, economic, political and spiritual freedom. Disagreements arose within the Russian leadership itself. Row statesmen, in particular, vice-president A.V. Rutskoi, criticized the reform policy of Boris Yeltsin's cabinet. However, as evidenced by numerous opinion polls, the majority of the Russian population as a whole supports the actions of the Russian government.

Further development of the situation, obviously, will be determined by the ability of the Russian leadership to make effective transformations in the formation of a market economy, to peacefully resolve complex interethnic problems, as well as the ability of the population to adapt to new living conditions, authority, and the influence of those strata of the population that make up the social basis of reforms. 65. Proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Belarus.

An attempt by the leadership of the Soviet Union to carry out radical economic transformations led to the liberalization of social and political life, reforming relations between the republics and the center. Locally, including in Belarus, the movement for national independence grew. In 1990, the process of proclaiming sovereign republics began, on July 27, 1990, the Supreme Soviet of the BSSR adopted the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of the Belarusian SSR. Accordingly, the supremacy of the Constitution of the Byelorussian SSR and its laws was proclaimed on the territory of the republic. This step was the beginning of the movement towards real state sovereignty, which was affirmed in the name of the highest goal - free development and prosperity, in a decent life every citizen of the republic. Citizens of Belarus of all nationalities are the Belarusian people, who are the bearers of sovereignty and the only source of state power in the republic. The Belarusian nation has an inalienable right to self-determination.

The end of 1990 - the beginning of 1991 were marked by attempts to search for new forms of national-state relations between the republics of the USSR. In March 1991, a referendum was held on the fate of the USSR, during which the majority of the population spoke out in favor of preserving the USSR. However, the hope for a gradual reform of the USSR was dashed by the coup in August 1991. After the failure of the coup, the Supreme Council of the BSSR on August 25, 1991 decided to give the status of a constitutional law to the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Belarus, as well as a decree on ensuring the political and economic independence of the republic. Enterprises, organizations and institutions of all-Union subordination, located on its territory, were transferred to the ownership of Belarus. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Security Committee of the BSSR were transformed from union-republican institutions into republican ones. A decision was made to suspend the activities of the CPB, to departize state authorities and administrations, enterprises, organizations and institutions. Party property was sealed.

On September 19, 1991, the Supreme Council approved the new name of the country - the Republic of Belarus; it was also decided to introduce new state symbols - the coat of arms "Pursuit" and the white-red-white flag. December 8, 1991 at the Viskuli residence in Belovezhskaya Pushcha the leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The official center of the community was Minsk.

On December 10, 1991, the Supreme Council of Belarus ratified the agreement on the formation of the CIS and decided to denounce the Union Treaty of 1922.December 21, 1991 the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at a meeting in Alma-Ata supported the creation of the CIS. The USSR ceased to exist.

Belarus joined new stage its development. At the end of 1991-1992, the Main Directorate of the Border Troops under the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, the State Customs Committee, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic, etc. were created. One of the first steps was the accession of Belarus to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the conclusion of an Treaty with Russia on the status of strategic nuclear forces on its territory. The withdrawal from Belarus by the end of 1997 of strategic missiles and nuclear warheads was envisaged.

With the development of democracy in society, conditions have developed for the formation of a multi-party system. One of the first to emerge was the United Democratic Party of Belarus (1990), which in 1995 merged with the Civil Party and created the United Civil Party. In 1991, the Belarusian Peasant Party, the Belarusian Social Democratic Community, and the Party of Communists of Belarus emerged. 1992 - Party of People's Accord. United Agrarian Democratic Party, Slavic Cathedral "Belaya Rus", Green Party of Belarus, etc. Since the time of the III Congress of the Belarusian Popular Front in 1993, the BPF party was actually created, which originated in 1988 as a broad social and political movement. In October 1990, the I Congress of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus took place, and in 1991 Free Trade Unions of Belarus were formed. Currently, there are 36 political parties and movements in Belarus. They represent a wide political spectrum, from communist and socialist parties to parties that advocate radical capitalist reforms. In the national-cultural area, the differentiation of political forces can be traced in relation to the preservation and strengthening of the Belarusian statehood. Most of the political parties in Belarus have an insignificant number of members, an undefined social base. The largest of them are BPF, PKB, United Civil Party.

Having started to pursue an independent foreign policy, the Republic of Belarus reaffirmed its adherence to the principles of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the sovereign equality of states, non-use and renunciation of the threat of force, inviolability of borders, etc. At present, 123 countries of the world have recognized Belarus as an independent state, diplomatic relations have been established with 121 countries. 27 embassies, 6 consulates and 7 representations of international organizations have been opened in Minsk. Belarus has concluded treaties with the sovereign republics of the CIS, adopted declarations on the principles of good-neighborly relations with the Baltic republics. The republic took part in the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), signed the OSCE Final Act in Helsinki, became the first of the CIS member states to join the Council of Europe, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The priorities of foreign economic activity of Belarus are currently receiving international assistance to overcome the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, crisis phenomena in the economy, attracting foreign investment, etc. Among the partner countries, Belarus focuses primarily on Russia and the CIS countries.

An important event was the preparation and adoption of the new Constitution on March 15, 1994. According to the Constitution, the Republic of Belarus is a unitary democratic socio-legal state, which is based on the principle of separation of powers: legislative, executive and judicial. The head of the state and executive power is the President of the Republic of Belarus. The President forms the highest executive body and is responsible for its work. The President's activities are regulated by the Constitution and laws.

Synopsis on the history of Russia

Prerequisites for the collapse of the USSR.

1) A deep socio-economic crisis that engulfed the entire country. The crisis led to the severance of economic ties, gave rise to the desire of the republics to "save themselves alone."

2) Destruction Soviet system- a sharp weakening of the center.

3) The collapse of the CPSU.

4) Aggravation of interethnic relations. National conflicts undermined state unity, becoming one of the reasons for the destruction of the union statehood.

5) Republican separatism and political ambition of local leaders.

The collapse of the CPSU, the cementing force political system, the entire union statehood went not only along the ideological, but also along the national line:

a) the end of 1989-1990. - withdrawal from the CPSU of the Baltic Communist Parties.

b) 1990 - creation of the Communist Party of the RSFSR (as part of the CPSU).

c) 1990-1991 - a multi-party system. In January 1991, the Democratic Congress (47 parties and movements from 12 republics) was held in Kharkov, which proposed expressing no confidence in the government and the president, boycotting the March 17 referendum and dissolving the USSR.

Weakening the power of the soviets - next stage weakening the center.

National conflicts- "scattering" of the republics, a parade of sovereignties:

a) 1988 - the opposition in the Baltics takes a course to secede from the USSR. "Sayudis" in Lithuania, fronts in Latvia and Estonia (later they will win the elections).

b) 1988 - the beginning of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over the ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh. Large victims, over 800 thousand refugees. The helplessness of allied structures.

c) 1990 - the republics adopt the Declaration of Sovereignty (including Russia), declare the superiority of their laws over the union ones. The first was Lithuania - on March 11, 1990, which declared sovereignty in violation of the USSR law on the procedure for the withdrawal of republics from the USSR.

The union center can no longer hold power in a democratic way and resorts to military force: Tbilisi - September 1989, Baku - January 1990, Vilnius and Riga - January 1991, Moscow - August 1991. In addition - interethnic conflicts in Central Asia(1989-1990): Fergana, Dushanbe, Osh, etc.

The last straw that pushed the party and state leadership of the USSR to act was the threat of signing a new Union Treaty, which was developed during negotiations between representatives of the republics in Novo-Ogaryovo.

Novoogarevsky process:

1990-1991 - discussion of a new Union Treaty (first option: broad powers of the republics while maintaining a single state).

On April 23, 1991, in Novo-Ogaryovo, Gorbachev held talks with the leaders of nine union republics on the issue of a new union treaty. All negotiators supported the idea of ​​creating a renewed Union and signing such an agreement. His project provided for the creation of the Union of Sovereign States (UIT), as a democratic federation of equal Soviet sovereign republics. Changes were outlined in the structure of government and administration, the adoption of a new Constitution, and a change in the electoral system. The signing of the contract was scheduled for August 20, 1991.

Some of the republics refused to sign even this rather liberal treaty and announced the creation of independent states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia).

The August 1991 putsch and its failure.

August 1991 - Gorbachev was on vacation in the Crimea. The signing of a new Union Treaty was scheduled for August 20.

August 18, a number of higher officials The USSR proposes to Gorbachev to introduce a state of emergency throughout the country, but they receive a refusal from his side.

In order to disrupt the signing of the Union Treaty and preserve their powers of power, part of the top party and state leadership tried to seize power. On August 19, a state of emergency was declared in the country (for 6 months). Troops were sent to the streets of Moscow and a number of other large cities.

The coup was headed by the State Committee for state of emergency(GKChP), who took over the full power in the country (Yanaev, Pavlov, Kryuchkov, Pugo, Yazov, Starodubtsev, etc.).

The address to the country spoke about the impossibility of Gorbachev - due to his health condition - to fulfill presidential duties. A desire was announced to restore order in the country and prevent the collapse of the Union.

Almost all central newspapers, with the exception of Pravda, Izvestia, Truda and some others, were banned, all the channels of Central Television, with the exception of the 1st program, and almost all radio stations stopped working. The activities of all parties, except for the CPSU, were suspended.

The main political rival of the GKChP was the leadership of the RSFSR. It was against him that the main blow was directed. Around the building of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR ("White House"), troops were concentrated, which were supposed to occupy the building, disperse the parliament and arrest its most active participants.

But coup failed... The population of the country basically refused to support the State Emergency Committee, while the army did not want to use force against its citizens. Already on August 20, barricades were erected around the "White House", on which there were several tens of thousands of people, and part of the military units went over to the side of the defenders. The resistance was led by Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The actions of the State Emergency Committee were very negatively perceived abroad, from which statements were immediately made about the suspension of assistance to the USSR.

The coup was extremely poorly organized, there was no active operational leadership. Already on August 22, he was defeated, and the members of the State Emergency Committee were arrested. Interior Minister Pugo shot himself.

The main reason for the failure of the coup was the determination of the masses to defend their political freedoms.

The final stage of the collapse of the USSR... (September - December 1991).

The attempted coup d'état sharply accelerated the collapse of the USSR, led to the loss of authority and power by Gorbachev, and to a noticeable increase in Yeltsin's popularity. The activity of the CPSU was suspended and then terminated. Gorbachev left his post Secretary General The Central Committee of the CPSU and dissolved the Central Committee. In the days following the coup, 8 republics declared their full independence, and the three Baltic republics achieved recognition from the USSR. There was a sharp reduction in the competence of the KGB, it was announced about its reorganization.

On December 1, 1991, more than 80% of the Ukrainian population voted for the independence of their republic.

December 8, 1991 - Belovezhsky agreement (Yeltsin, Kravchuk, Shushkevich): it was announced about the termination of the Union Treaty of 1922 and about the end of activities state structures the former Soviet Union. Russia, Ukraine and Belarus have reached an agreement to establish Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)... Three states invited all former republics to join the CIS.

December 21, 1991 - at a meeting in Alma-Ata, where, as at the previous meeting, Gorbachev was not invited, 8 republics joined the CIS. The Declaration on the termination of the existence of the USSR and on the principles of the CIS activities was adopted. On December 25, Gorbachev announced his resignation as president in connection with the disappearance of the state. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Georgia joined the CIS.

On May 15, 1992, the Collective Security Treaty of the CIS member states was signed in Tashkent (it was signed by 6 countries, later Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Georgia joined the treaty).

In 1992, the withdrawal of Russian troops from neighboring countries began: the Baltic states, Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan and Armenia. At the same time, the military conflicts that erupted in a number of republics the former USSR(Georgia, Moldova, Tajikistan), forced the Russian leadership to leave part of their troops on their territory as peacekeeping forces.

After joining the leadership of the Russian Foreign Ministry at the end of 1995, E.M. Primakov, Russia's relations with the CIS countries have become more fruitful. On March 29, 1996, an Agreement was signed between Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on the settlement of integration in the economic and humanitarian fields. In May 1997, Russia and Ukraine signed the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership.

April 2, 1996 in Moscow was signed " Treaty on the formation of the Community of Belarus and Russia", Which provided for the reconstruction in 1996-1997. common economic and financial space. On April 2, 1997, the Community was transformed into the Union of Russia and Belarus, and on May 23, the Union's Charter was signed. On December 8, 1999, the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State was signed, which was adopted by the State Duma on December 22, 1999 and ratified on January 2, 2000 by the acting President of Russia V.V. Putin.

Over the period of the CIS existence, more than 900 fundamental normative legal acts have been signed. They concerned a single ruble space, open borders, defense, space, information exchange, security, customs policy, etc. The leaders of the countries met regularly. However, the integration processes have their own characteristics and certain difficulties. Since mid-1999, the leaderships of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have preferred to solve state problems by expanding cooperation with the United States and NATO countries.

Aggravation of interethnic conflicts. In the mid-80s, 15 union republics were part of the USSR: Armenian, Azerbaijan, Belarusian, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Latvian, Lithuanian, Moldavian, RSFSR, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, Ukrainian and Estonian. More than 270 million people lived on its territory, representatives of over a hundred nations and nationalities. In the opinion of the official leadership of the country, in the USSR the national question was resolved in principle and the republics were actually aligned in terms of the level of political, socio-economic and cultural development. Meanwhile inconsistency national policy gave rise to numerous contradictions in interethnic relations. Under the conditions of publicity, these contradictions grew into open conflicts. The economic crisis, which engulfed the entire national economic complex, exacerbated interethnic tensions.

In 1986, there were mass rallies and demonstrations against Russification in Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan). The reason for them was the appointment of G. Kolbin, a Russian by nationality, as the first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. Public discontent took open forms in the Baltic republics, Ukraine, and Belarus. The public, led by the popular fronts, demanded the publication of the Soviet-German treaties of 1939, the publication of documents on the deportations of the population from the Baltic states and from the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus during the collectivization period, and on the mass graves of victims of repression near Kurapaty (Belarus). Armed clashes based on interethnic conflicts have become more frequent.

In 1988, hostilities began between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh - a territory populated mainly by Armenians, but which was part of the AzSSR. An armed conflict between Uzbeks and Meskhetian Turks broke out in Fergana. Novy Uzen (Kazakhstan) became the hotbed of interethnic clashes. The appearance of thousands of refugees would be one of the results of the conflicts that have taken place. In April 1989, mass demonstrations took place in Tbilisi for several days. The main demands of the demonstrators were: the implementation of democratic reforms and the independence of Georgia. The Abkhaz population was in favor of revising the status of the Abkhaz ASSR and separating it from the Georgian SSR.

"Parade of sovereignties". Since the end of the 80s, the movement for the withdrawal of their composition from the USSR in the Baltic republics has intensified. At first, the opposition forces insisted on recognizing the native language in the republics as the official language, on taking measures to limit the number of people moving here from other regions of the country, and on ensuring the real independence of local authorities. Now the first place in their programs has come to the requirement of separating the economy from the all-Union national economic complex. It was proposed to concentrate the management of the national economy in local management structures and recognize the priority of republican laws over all-Union ones. In the autumn of 1988, representatives of the Popular Fronts won the elections to the central and local authorities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. They declared their main task to be the achievement of complete independence, the creation of sovereign states. In November 1988, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR approved the Declaration of State Sovereignty. Identical documents were adopted by Lithuania, Latvia, Azerbaijan SSR (1989) and Moldavian SSR (1990). Following the announcements of sovereignty, the presidents of the former Soviet republics were elected.

June 12, 1990 I Congress people's deputies The RSFSR adopted the Declaration on the State Sovereignty of Russia. It legally enshrined the priority of republican laws over union laws. The first president of the Russian Federation was B.N. Yeltsin, vice-president - A.V. Rutskoi.

Union republics' declarations of sovereignty placed in the center political life the question of the continued existence of the Soviet Union. The IV Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR (December 1990) called for the preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and its transformation into a democratic federal state. The congress adopted a resolution "On the general concept of a union treaty and the procedure for its conclusion." The document noted that the basis of the renewed Union will be the principles set forth in the republican declarations: equality of all citizens and peoples, the right to self-determination and democratic development, territorial integrity. In accordance with the resolution of the congress, an all-Union referendum was held to decide on the preservation of the renewed Union as a federation of sovereign republics. 76.4% of the total number of people who participated in the voting were in favor of preserving the USSR.

The final political crisis... In April May 1991, negotiations of M.S. Gorbachev with the leaders of nine union republics on the issue of a new union treaty. All negotiators supported the idea of ​​creating a renewed Union and signing such an agreement. His project provided for the creation of the Union of Sovereign States (UIT) as a democratic federation of equal Soviet sovereign republics. Changes were outlined in the structure of government and administration, the adoption of a new Constitution, and a change in the electoral system. The signing of the contract was scheduled for August 20, 1991.

The publication and discussion of the draft of a new union treaty deepened the split in society. The adherents of M.S. Gorbachev saw in this act an opportunity to reduce the level of confrontation and prevent danger. civil war in the country. The leaders of the Democratic Russia movement put forward the idea of ​​signing a temporary agreement for up to one year. During this time, it was proposed to hold elections to the Constituent Assembly and delegate to it for decision the question of the system and procedure for the formation of all-Union bodies of power. A group of social scientists protested against the draft treaty. The document prepared for signing was regarded as the result of the center's surrender to the demands of the national separatist forces in the republics. Opponents of the new treaty rightly feared that the dismantling of the USSR would cause the collapse of the existing national economic complex and a deepening of the economic crisis. A few days before the signing of a new union treaty, opposition forces made an attempt to end the policy of reforms and stop the collapse of the state.

On the night of August 19, the President of the USSR M.S. Gorbachev was removed from power. A group of statesmen declared that M.S. Gorbachev, in connection with his state of health, to fulfill presidential duties. A state of emergency was introduced in the country for a period of 6 months, rallies and strikes were prohibited. The creation of the Emergency Committee was announced State Committee on a state of emergency in the USSR. It included Vice-President G.I. Yanaev, Prime Minister B.C. Pavlov, Chairman of the KGB V.A. Kryuchkov, Minister of Defense D.T. Yazov and other representatives power structures... The GKChP declared its tasks to be overcoming the economic and political crisis, interethnic and civil confrontation and anarchy. Behind these words stood the main task: restoration of the order that existed in the USSR until 1985

Moscow became the center of the August events. Troops were brought into the city. A curfew was imposed. Large sections of the population, including many members of the party apparatus, did not provide support to the members of the State Emergency Committee. President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin called on citizens to support the legally elected government. The actions of the Emergency Committee were regarded by him as an anti-constitutional coup. The announcement was made of the transfer of all Union executive bodies located on the territory of the republic to the jurisdiction of the Russian president.

On August 22, GKChP members were arrested. One of the decrees of B.N. Yeltsin, the activity of the CPSU was terminated. August 23 ended its existence as a ruling state structure.

The events of 19-22 August brought the collapse of the Soviet Union closer. At the end of August, Ukraine announced the creation of independent states, and then other republics.

In December 1991, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha (BSSR), a meeting of the leaders of the three sovereign states of Russia (Boris Yeltsin), Ukraine (L. Kravchuk) and Belarus (S. Shushkevich) was held. On December 8, they announced the termination of the union treaty of 1922 and the end of the activities of the state structures of the former Union. At the same time, an agreement was reached on the creation of the CIS Commonwealth of Independent States. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist. In December of the same year, eight more former republics joined the Commonwealth of Independent States (Alma-Ata Agreement).

"Perestroika", conceived and carried out by some of the party and state leaders with the aim of democratic changes in all spheres of society, is over. Its main result was the collapse of the once mighty multinational state, the end of the Soviet period of development in the history of the Fatherland. In the former republics of the USSR, presidential republics were formed and operated. Among the leaders of sovereign states were many former party and Soviet workers. Each of the former union republics independently searched for ways out of the crisis. V Russian Federation this task was to be solved by President B.N. Yeltsin and the democratic forces supporting him.

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