The Last Ditch Attempt to Save the USSR - August Coup of 1991 (Short Animated Documentary)

One of the most important events in the decline and fall of the USSR was the August Coup of 1991 which saw its Vice President attempt to overthrow its President, Mikhail Gorbachev. It didn't go to well and was hastily planned but the fact that it ended peacefully is frankly nothing short of miraculous.
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Sources:
Before and After the Abortive Coup in the USSR by Boris L. Gubman
Mass Opposition to the Soviet Putsch of August 1991: Collective Action, Rational Choice, and Democratic Values in the Former Soviet Union by James L. Gibson
Soviet Civil-Military Relations and the August Coup by John W. R. Lepingwell
LESSONS FROM THE 1991 SOVIET COUP by Wendy Varney and Brian Martin

[@biliminsrlar5752]

China:Soviets are not truely communist and they suck lol. Soviets: *Starts to collapse* China:NO COMRADE DON'T DIE YET!

[@panzhubnikaz7335]

Classic love story

[@RyoKasai25]

That's quite ironic since by that time China already went through reforms and started to embrace more and more a capitalist economy, not to mention that they were already buddies with the USA and supported the Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War.

[@POCLEE]

@@RyoKasai25 Apparently PRC was playing tsundere card too much.

[@AlejandroGonzalez-fs5ez]

Lmao

[@CDang-ms6dc]

China needs USSR to attract most of the attention of the US.

[@Daniel-kq4bx]

With Yeltsin becoming President the russian government form changed from Communism to Alcoholism

[@richardalex4516]

Finally. A political ideal that represents me.

[@johnohara4788]

Truly the most ascendant political ideology

[@satanicdude]

the change to alcoholism came with stalin tho ...

[@jelkel25]

Yes, he was so motivated against the coup because it sobered him up, he didn't let that happen again!

[@vitasartemiev]

@@satanicdude No, he means that Eltsin was an alcoholic

[@hanifloka130]

Yanayev and the committe: "We're in charge now!" Citizens of the USSR: "Okay, so what are you gonna do now?" Yanayev and the committe: "We don't know. We never thought we'd get this far"

[@shurik121]

Yanaev and the committee just got drunk.

[@carlireland5049]

@@shurik121 Yanayev later claimed that he had opposed the coup but had been threatened with retribution if he did not go along with it. It's unclear whether this was truly the case, but either way, Yanayev does seem to have been a figurehead who spent the entire coup in a drunken stupor. KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov was the true leader of the coup.

[@veramae4098]

No Internet yet but I belonged to a "bulletin board". People with large computer setups at home would host lots of groups and chat and exchange with other bulletin boards. We started receiving daily, multi daily, accounts of what was happening in Moscow. Rumor was somebody in Moscow with a bulletin board connection thru Finland was posting the events they were witnessing. Very cool.

[@danielbuddenmusic1502]

It's like if extremist minor political parties actually got voted in.

[@RyanRuark]

Pretty much like US Republicans.

[@GeorgeBobeck]

Days after the coup was the Monsters of Rock concert in Moscow. The attendance was estimated to be around 1.6 *million* people at that event.

[@Jesus_Zendejas]

Interesting

[@nesiras6696]

AC/DC Metallica Pantera The Black Crowes E.S.T.

[@emceedoctorb3022]

@@nesiras6696 Interesting that the lineup changed. I went to the one in Hanover and it was Black Crows as the openers, then Motley Crew, Queensryche, Metallica and AC/DC.

[@nesiras6696]

@@emceedoctorb3022 That is interesting! A little jealous that you got to see Queensryche haha.

[@emceedoctorb3022]

@@nesiras6696 And Geoff Tate did Eyes of a Stranger live and hit the notes perfectly. I honestly thought when they started playing it he would do a Jon Bon Jovi and bottle it but no, he did it live. What a voice that man has!

[@roel250]

6 minutes of History Matters?? We're being spoiled boys

[@ivanamarkotic5398]

Soon we will have 10 minute history back

[@hoodclassicsofcalifornia]

History Matter episodes are normally 4 minutes and this one is 6 minutes. 6+4 = 10 Minute History

[@tobiashahn645]

@@ivanamarkotic5398 Oh I wish. I know that quick videos are probably better for viewcounts, but I still find 10 minute videos so much more entertaining and informative...

[@markhenley3097]

@@tobiashahn645 Most of them lack a lot of useful information as well.

[@willek1335]

Corona spoiled

[@avantelvsitania3359]

Transnistria: the Soviet Union?! collapsed?! Sure.... Liechtenstein: yeah, they tried to tell me the same story about the Holy Roman Empire...fools!

[@allanjbucknol4414]

Lmafo

[@nicholasoneal1521]

Good thing they're too smart to fall for that

[@littlechemie5425]

Finland : yeah, they also said the Roman empire fell centuries ago. While I, the fourth Rome, still exist!

[@Bluesonofman]

Technically the HRE still exist in Liechtenstein

[@yourneighbourhooddoomer]

@Baldur Moldova and Transnistria are both lands of Romania. In an ideal world they would be reunited, the few ukrainian majority settlements in Transnistria given to Ukraine and the ethnic russian population expelled.

[@macsenplays]

Yeltsin is the prime reason why the August Coup was doomed to fail. They couldn't arrest him, as arresting him would've been too obvious. So he ended up leading the resistance against it.

[@CorsetGrace]

Yeltsin was a hero. Too bad he failed with Putin but I guess when you are given the choice of saying, "You're the new president" or getting a bullet in the brain, you'll talk.

[@Hsalf904]

And look where Russia is now 💀

[@hawkevick9184]

What if they killed with a false flag

[@acebalistic1358]

They could’ve just gave him a free tab at the nearest bar, he would’ve probably drank himself to death pretty fast

[@mplate1792]

At the time, western media reported that troops were indeed sent to Yeltsin's home to arrest him. But he was already on his way to join they crowds.

[@zhishan6230]

One little-known fact that helps explain the failure: most of the coup leaders were drunk out of their skulls through the whole ordeal. Of course, so was Yeltsin, but he managed to stay vertical until just a bit later...

[@SamTurtonsamsamsam999]

On the first morning of the coup, Prime Minister Pavlov was apparently so badly intoxicated that he was at the point of hysteria and had to have doctors called in...

[@Jefrings]

When you try to save the USSR, but accidentally accelerate the process of collapsing.

[@jussieronen3707]

*russians*

[@saoirsedeltufo7436]

Sort of reminds me of Asimov's Foundation books... that man was a genius

[@kostam.1113]

That is how Chernobyl also worked comrade.

[@PhantomsOwn]

Jefrings cha cha real smooth

[@Peanut_Chaos]

@Foul Gerbil it also helps making sure you'll be supported by the people

[@ahorrell]

If I had a dollar for every time I'd heard the name "James Bizanet", I'd be as rich as James Bizanet.

[@iuriepripa3171]

I'd assume it's James Bisonette

[@emp437]

God bless him

[@maximilienfrancoisderobesp202]

Bissonnette? Bissonnet?

[@emperorkarlfranzrulerofthe2826]

its probably just James bond, just with an slight name change

[@Lynxleath]

Skye Chapelle

[@zeroyuki92]

Interesting that YT recommended this again at this time. RIP Gorbachev, I'm sure a lot of people have various polarizing things to say about you but I'm just gonna remember you as a person who not only witnessed a change of an era, but also hold a great power during it and things happened with relatively low bloodshed. That's a pretty good point in my book.

[@Rayitolaser569]

Gorbachev wasn't a hero, he wasn't a monster or a traitor either. I don't think he is the only one to blame for the USSR disolution, he just was a very mediocre president on chaotic times.

[@zts3902]

rest in piss bozo

[@YaBoiBaxter2024]

​@@Rayitolaser569He did what he could. Unfortunately, this has now lead to Putin 🤦🏽

[@The_whales]

⁠@@YaBoiBaxter2024well it’s more like Boris lead to Putin getting his position

[@YaBoiBaxter2024]

@@The_whales yup

[@carlireland5049]

The U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union at that time (Jack F. Matlock Jr.) and Mikhail Gorbachev actually believed that it was ironically the coup attempt itself that destroyed the USSR. They considered it likely that the Soviet Union could have continued on in a looser federation with economic reforms if the coup had not happened.

[@cv990a4]

It wasn't inevitable, but what really kicked things off were Yeltsin's actions immediately after Gorbachev returned - Yeltsin used the opportunity to grab more control (why not - if not not for Yeltsin, the coup might have succeeded). It became clear to the other Soviet Republics that Russia was going to be in charge - that there would be no Center (as it was called) or the Center would be powerless. Ukraine was was not interested in being subservient to Russia. So it declared independence, subject to a referendum, Dec 1, 1991, which voted overwhelmingly for independence (including a majority in Crimea and heavy majorities in Donetsk and Luhansk, the most ethnic Russian parts of Ukraine). It was Yeltsin's post-coup actions to kneecap the Center which caused disintegration as much as the coup itself. He was motivated by a desire to kill the Center and move power to Russia and didn't understand how that would be viewed in Ukraine.

[@carlireland5049]

@@cv990a4 Yes and no. Yeltsin certainly used the coup to grab more power, but only in Russia itself, which Yeltsin declared sovereign from the USSR before it officially collapsed. The thing is that Yeltsin’s takeover of Russia probably would have happened regardless, as the leaders of the constituent republics (including Yeltsin) and Gorbachev had all agreed to a new Union treaty that would allow the Soviet constituent republics to become sovereign states. The Soviet Union would remain but as a looser federation like the European Union but with some more common institutions like a currency and the military. In fact, the treaty was about to be announced and formally ratified a few days after the coup. Basically everyone recognized that the Soviet Union as it had existed since the Russian Revolution was toast. But the mostly likely scenario until the coup was that the RSFSR under Yeltsin would have coexisted alongside Ukraine, Belarus, the Central Asian republics, and possibly the Caucasus under a looser Soviet government led by Gorbachev. The problem is, the coup was carried out by Soviet Cabinet members who did not want to give tight central control, and wanted most of all to prevent the ratification of the treaty because it would destroy their political power. The reason why the coup was significant is because it created massive and ultimately unresolvable commitment problems. None of the republic leaders could be assured afterwards that the Soviet Union’s leaders would follow the terms of any new treaty/constitution. You are right the republics were also weary of Russia dominating a post-Soviet political bloc, and this is why the Commonwealth of Independent States established as the formal legal successor to the USSR failed. However, the coup is what flipped the players’ interests from “Maybe we can keep the USSR going in some highly democratized and decentralized form to maintain some measure of internal stability and international power,” to “The USSR just needs to die.”

[@SamTurtonsamsamsam999]

I completely agree, this coup was the nail in the coffin for the USSR

[@paulhan1615]

My mom went to USSR in 1991, as a part of church mission with her college friends. She traveled via trans-Siberian railways. When she arrived at Moscow, she said there were so many tanks rolling in the streets and in the square. She was astonished to see such a scene but thought to herself that this might just be another normal afternoon in communist countries. When I asked her what month was it that she was there, she said it was August. Little did she know that she just saw with her own eyes this great turning point of history and she was one of the people to witness the downfall of the world's superpower.

[@desertdude8274]

@Lord Farquaad They weren't hence the reason you take the Siberian railway.

[@Rustycaddy17]

@Lord Farquaad Yes, it was very legal since Gorbachev came into power. Since the USSR's existence, people could follow religion, just it was hugely suppressed under Lenin and Stalin's rule, after de-stalinization, the harshness of state atheism cooled down.

[@Sinn0100]

Downfall of the world's superpower? Let me fix that for you...Downfall of one of the world's superpowers. The US would have murdered the USSR in say 1990 had they gone to war.

[@Think_Inc]

The next superpower which has already fallen is the US. All hail the CCP! They’re the superpower now.

[@asbest2092]

@@Sinn0100 planned economy killed the ussr, not the usa

[@isakferm7686]

January 1991 and the first McDonald’s opened in Moscow. “Something which upset many hardline communists” edit: it aged like milk

[@bigbrain2178]

untill they tried a burger

[@isakferm7686]

@@bigbrain2178 Indeed

[@rin_etoware_2989]

Pizza Hut was better anyways

[@Pan-be3vv]

@@bigbrain2178 Borger

[@camanderson9954]

@@rin_etoware_2989 obviously never had mcdonalds pizza

[@LamborghiniDiabloSVPursuit]

HM: Worst coup ever. The horribly-botched coup in Venezuela to depose Maduro: Allow us to introduce ourselves.

[@hughjass1044]

Holy f*ck; talk about an absolute shit show!! Bay of Pigs 2.0!

[@looinrims]

@@hughjass1044 except this time the US government didn’t even support it

[@mrredacted85]

@insidejob yes exactly that

[@taicanium]

@insidejob Literally yes

[@looinrims]

@insidejob no, it was an E-6 Green beret (ret) who ran a Pmc that worked with Venezuelan defectors (supposed to be 200 ended up being 60) alongside a coke dealing general and a corrupt politician, both from Venezuela

[@AlexanderBogdanow]

"Worst coup attempt ever!" What?! Ever heard of Mishima and his Paramilitary student gang?

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

was that where the japanese dude commited suicide

[@MrChug-fi5do]

More like work of actionism art

[@gothenmosph5151]

That guy was a brilliant writer with a samarui obsession who wanted a glorious suicide to live up to the ideals of a more feudal Japan. It was 99% theater from a guy far too inside of his own head.

[@Caged_Viking]

I remember my history professor describing how, when Soviet tanks were sent to stop a protest during the coup, the soldiers got out of the tanks and joined the protest, which cemented the idea that the party had no more control over the military

[@xynn3rx116]

Same thing happened in my country Romania in 89

[@Vitorruy1]

Lmao

[@danc7934]

This just shows how communism should remain just a meme

[@danc7934]

@Черногорский истребитель You mean you want Soviet Russia because I'm not living as a communist again

[@danc7934]

@Черногорский истребитель I mean that I want to live in a democratic country in peace. If you want to be in a communist Russia, ok, but I will definitely live in Romania from now on as a capitalist

[@DylanoRevs]

Hardline communists: "We're in charge!" Boris: "No..We have a tank."

[@ahmedmehana4579]

Hello oversimplified fan

[@georgeamesfort3408]

So the hardliners had to concede Wow thanks Boris! That was a close one!

[@isaacpreece2120]

Hi in charge, I'm _Oversimplified_

[@jaewok5G]

when you think about, a drunk Russian in a tank is about the last thing you want to tangle with

[@bengamerlsyolo6788]

@@georgeamesfort3408 No problem, and thanks for the great freedom you've given us.

[@yumanorfolk3103]

"Hello from the big hangover" flashbacks.

[@TheIbney00]

“Resign from leadership!” Boris: “No... I don’t think I will.”

[@ArkadiBolschek]

"I would prefer not to".

[@Pawn2e4]

This could also be referencing Corbyn vs Johnson.

[@FIFA-zu6oc]

Boris Drunksin: *Talks back in vodka*

[@randycheow4268]

Same with Putin

[@Yora21]

"He said no! Should we still do it?"

[@boombler4320]

0:19 "Pravda, Printed in english, for some reason" we are not even 20 seconds in and Im already smilling, I love this channel humor

[@MrZebeda]

This is a returning joke though. It was first featured in his Collapse of the USSR video if I remember correctly. :)

[@arnold3768]

@@MrZebeda no, it was in the video about soviets reacting to the moon landing.

[@MrZebeda]

@@arnold3768 oh yeah, you are correct! :)

[@rashadmammadli4805]

BoomBler “Turns out we’re poor”

[@hexmaster6267]

Latin, not English

[@Irrelevantnerd1918]

KZbin recommendations have a great sense of humor

[@ed_ward6869]

And funny enough, at the time of the coup, Warner Bros was filming a Police Academy movie in Moscow.

[@empinesscloakedindarkness4167]

Imagine if James bizanet is the guy who runs history matters and we have been punk'd this whole time...

[@paulohenriqueferreiradealm1893]

Jedi: James Bizanet will decide your fate. History Matters: I AM James Bizanet

[@itzimperiumxvi2620]

Paulo Henrique Ferreira de Almeida Not yet

[@paulohenriqueferreiradealm1893]

@@itzimperiumxvi2620 It's treason, then.

[@itzimperiumxvi2620]

Paulo Henrique Ferreira de Almeida *Duel Begins*

[@panzerscoutsmemories1152]

ItzImperium XVI History Matters: RARGHHHHHH *Spins towards Jedi*

[@toggafamai4224]

HM: I mean really the worst coup attempt ever. Turkey: Hold my raki.

[@fludblud]

Tfw the coup fails because the President used facetime.

[@jokuvaan5175]

Turkey's "coup"

[@Rabauke84]

Bitch please, remember the Kapp-Putsch from 1920 in Germany? Only lasts 100 hours and failed, because the people put down the work and one bureaucrat didn't pay the soldiers that participated on the coup.

[@odi0077]

Raki is Greek, not Turkish.

[@thanmad]

The Greek Pyjama Coup, where the conspirators were arrested in the middle of the night? (Hence the Pyjama reference in the name)

[@lochnessmonster5149]

One of my college professors was living in Moscow during the August Coup. He was a TVA nuclear engineer living in Moscow as a guest of the Soviet government. He was one of the pedestrians in the streets when the famous photographs of Soviet tanks rolling towards Red Square were taken.

[@maxwelldalston8277]

My father was there in Moscow during the coup, he was a gas turbine salesman for GE and he staying at the international hotel for a business trip. On TV and with his own eyes, watched the tanks roll over bridge. On TV, he watched one of the tanks turn its turrent. He looked back down on the at the tank and it was pointed right at him. It fired an HE round right next to the two rooms from him. Talk about luck!

[@zacherybarger6591]

I like how Stalin's grave marker just says "remember me as a peacemaker".

[@the_red_barron1002]

Starlin won WW2 he was a peacemaker.

[@richmcgee434]

He's a peacemaker in the same sense the Colt .45 was. Both killed a whole lot of people, and no one's as peaceful as a corpse.

[@ArtyomCCCP]

@@rouvenmuller7662 Gulag same level as french bagne,as us prison,there was more prisonners in usa in 30s than in gulag lmao,stop bs

[@jerrell1169]

The_red_ barron Buruuuuuh

[@jerrell1169]

artyom CCCP О Боже you’re a slavaboo if I’ve ever seen one

[@TheFiresloth]

"The conspirators were drunk. Not drunk with power, just completely wasted". Emmanuel Carrère, The Life of Edouard Limonov.

[@brynnemeza]

PART 2

[@greyghost2492]

spoke too soon

[@brynnemeza]

@@greyghost2492 true this was just a teaser trailer

[@maelstrom8897]

"Most notably defence minister Dimitri Yazov" -You have alerted the horde-

[@d3ds1r]

TNO REFERENCE!?!?

[@leonsteinbauer2770]

The Great Trial awaits

[@legmaineeier]

Oh no they're coming!

[@nikolaysokolnikov2677]

When you stage a coup to avenge the teutons even when you won the war.

[@Nonaggress]

@@d3ds1r ...you know Yazov was a real life Soviet military leader, right?

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

History Matter: Last ditch effort to save the USSR Transnistria: I still serve the Soviet Union Also despite the flag and coat of arms, the ruling party is centrist

[@cefalopodo5717]

Weren't you dead kim

[@MrZebeda]

Yes. Many sensationalist documentaries portray Transnistria as the "last Soviet holdout" and all that, but communism is long gone. I visited the breakaway country twice, and apart from the state symbols, the place is almost completely like provincial Russia. If you go to Russia you can find the same monuments, the occasional Lenin, soviet symbols and flags during state holidays and especially Victory Day and so on. If anything it is cleaner, safer, and calmer than provincial Russia, but that's like the only major difference. And Transnistrians make better cognac. ;) I really enjoyed my time in Tiraspol and Bendery.

[@loganicfilms1388]

thought you were dead. also how are you everywhere?

[@Daniel-kq4bx]

@@MrZebeda Occasional lenin statue is quite underexaggerating for Russia. Like especially in Moscow you have Soviet symbolics everywhere

[@RoScFan]

@@MrZebeda So why are they still a breakaway republic? Why not join Moldova? Why not help Moldova join the EU? Why not seek a solution, ANY solution that would allow it recognition? Or at least stability? Maybe accept recognition of independence in exchange for kicking out the russian soldiers there? Maybe even seek joining the EU as an independent country?

[@neptuneseye7832]

Making a petition for him to make a long video about breakup of Yugoslavia All in favor?

[@RoScFan]

And about the formation of the Eu.

[@attiepollard7847]

Man the break up of Yugoslavia will be boring and confusion at the same time

[@apreciadordobrasil4932]

Should he do that,he should turn off the comments.Ex-Yugoslavian peoples are not so friendly to each other upon discussing things like that.

[@Oline1756]

@@apreciadordobrasil4932 I noticed that. Hahahaha They argue all the time, that’s why Yugoslavs are the best.

[@oskar1076]

Aye

[@biggus8158]

you know why your here

[@Simonskilamb]

RIP Gorbachev. Would be interested to hear your take on BBC's reporting on the coup in their obituary - they claim it was Yeltsin who should be largely credited for preventing it and that he then forced Gorbachev out

[@IDBTitanosaurus]

The coup’s one mistake: not eating Boris Yeltzin.

[@Feffdc]

They did try to depose him again in a few years

[@qwertykeyboard5901]

seriously, wtf?

[@Edmonton-of2ec]

He wasn’t Prime Minister. Wrong job

[@BrkCntkn]

Instead they chose to drink Vodka, so they couldn't get angry enough.

[@richmcgee434]

@@BrkCntkn So you're suggesting that if they'd stuck to gin ("makes a man mean!") they would have succeeded? :)

[@breaddboy]

"Were gonna fix all the problems but we don't have a plan" pretty relivant right now

[@dominicguye8058]

When is it NOT relevant?

[@asbest2092]

it can't be relevant to capitalist countries

[@robc4191]

One year later, looking back on the handling of the Corona virus by the U S government, your comment was sopt on!

[@stevekillgore9272]

1000% correct, is Harris-Biden the best Zuckerberg could get for his HALF BILLION DOLLARS ?

[@Puzzoozoo]

@@robc4191 The US government has always in general been quite inept.

[@mikealphatangosierracharli9589]

The tank being (barely) stuffed in a trashcan by it's barrel at 04:40 was such a nice touch. Had me lough out loud for a second. Fantastic work, good Sir. I really enjoy your videos.

[@thatcat1909]

To be fair, Soviet tanks were trash. They were designed for quantity rather than quality.

[@dieglhix]

Hello from Jun 23 2023

[@matthewbrotman2907]

Am I the only one who noticed that under the word “ENTERPRISE” the guy running through the flowers was wearing a Star Trek uniform?

[@azh698]

Actually I would say it's Cpt. Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek the next generation.

[@plinkitee]

I saw it and I'm still laughing 🤣

[@ghostarmy1106]

Wait, where are the crewman of My Favorite WW2 carrier?!

[@richmcgee434]

@@ghostarmy1106 At least the Big E's name will live on forever, even if it's under the umbrella of a scifi franchise.

[@joermnyc]

Rich McGee I believe one of the next Ford Class carriers slated for construction will receive the name Enterprise.

[@kalyka98]

Yanayev: We are now in charge, pubblicly renounce to the secretariat and go away. Gorbaciov: No Yanayev: °○°

[@kirillz3822]

If you are about to watch documentary on the coup, pay attention to Yanaev's hands

[@gnaskar]

I know exactly why this is trending again.

[@zoomedcheese]

Here during the Wagner coup feeling good Edit: The Wagner coup was 1 month ago?! That feels weird

[@bigbrowntau]

Fun fact: The Russian flag used by Yeltsin was in fact a bedspread cover borrowed from a student who lived across the road from the barricades. (as per the BBC)

[@unscenegamers]

I had a professor from Russia who was studying for his masters in Moscow at the time of a the coup. He has some good picture of him and his friends standing in front of the tanks yelling at soldiers. He claims it was the only political thing he's ever done.

[@CeartGoLeor86]

Hmmm, I wonder why this video from 3 years ago popped up in my feed now...

[@zacharymusselwhite4604]

“Don’t worry he’s come down with a slight case of coup, I MEAN FLU.” -Ordinary Things

[@davidk.7978]

The tank in the trashbin at the end was hilarious! XD

[@christianmoore7109]

so was Yeltsin- Gorbi Come Back

[@merrittanimation7721]

"With the power of military action, we will restore the USSR!" *USSR almost immediately shatters* "Whoops."

[@zakiducky]

I love how KZbin recommends this immediately after the Wagner mutiny/ coup/ rebellion/ whatever it’s being called lol

[@pegauracheii]

Excellent video! I really wanted a condensed version of these events. Thank you.

[@PhilWood82]

Captain Picard running through a field of flowers is the most random thing I've ever seen you include. I love it. 😆

[@richmcgee434]

This was a pretty scary stretch to actually live through even in the US. Lots of confusion about what was going on, and how things were going to shake out was unclear at the time. A coup in any nuclear power is a potential doomsday scenario for everyone.

[@smokingthereefer92]

Welcome back history

[@nukclear2741]

@@smokingthereefer92 *we totally loved having this stress back* (Starts digging a shelter)

[@CloudWalkBeta]

@@nukclear2741 can I join, COMRADE? XD

[@danlower7834]

The scary thing is this might repeat itself in the next year

[@nukclear2741]

@@CloudWalkBeta of course comrade!

[@dennisgarber]

The full color restoration of these old film videos was breathtaking to watch. The addition of color almost added a "third dimension" to these old videos of the early 1990s.

[@iGamezRo]

2:38 the great trial???????

[@Richtofenfan]

Yeltsin dancing around after winning like that is probably the best thing I ever seen.

[@IQsveen]

1923 Hitler sweating nervously: yeah, worst attempt at a coup haha haha

[@ejoarkhamgamer567]

IQsveen at least he became a bestselling novelist while in ‘prison’

[@blitzkrieg2928]

at least he had Ludendorff as a supporter

[@kanhaiyakumarsingh1288]

@@blitzkrieg2928 not just ludendorf...... Even President Hindenburg admired him. Later ....

[@JoseHernandez-bv5gr]

At least the russians did manage to take some control of the goverment.

[@ramjb]

@@kanhaiyakumarsingh1288 Hindenburg was a staunch hater of Hitler. His straight up opposition was the reason Hitler didn't get to be a chancellor after the 1932 general election (in which the NSDAP got better results than in the 1933 elections where Hitler finally got to the chancellorship through a coalition of center-right parties). He thought he was an uncultured thug and unworthy of any position of public relevance. Yes, after the Night of the Long Knifes there was a congratulatory telegram signed by Hindenburg. By that stage Hindenburg was mentally gone and mere months away from dying of sheer decrepitude. So that doesn't really count as he was so senile by that stage that he didn't really understand what had gone on in that purge.

[@LoneWolf343]

"Really, just the worst attempt at a coup ever." Fast forward six months later...

[@julienrodriguez2008]

@「 Deadpoppin 」 The failed coup led to both the immediate collapse of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the USSR four months later.

[@julienrodriguez2008]

@「 Deadpoppin 」 I’m not sure what happened six months later but I think its the dissolution of the USSR or maybe the Soviet Union is renamed the Russian Federation Edit: Okay so I found out about something that happened in March 1992, six months after the failed coup, there’s the Treaty of Federation, which was a treaty signed on 31 March 1992 in Moscow between the Russian government and 18 of the 20 autonomous republics of Russia. The autonomous regions agreed to remain part of Russia in return for a greater autonomy and a larger share of natural resources.

[@simohayha9558]

ROUND TWO

[@joe36451]

4:40 I appreciate seeing a tank dumped in a trash bin🤣. Love this channel for its great content and wish the videos were longer

[@aldotorres1983]

3:04 You just couldn't resist that burn, both literally and figuratively.

[@livinglifeform7974]

Neither could the British.

[@plumjet0930]

💀

[@stevekillgore9272]

I've heard that the Admiral of their remote Pacific Fleet used his backchannels to assure his USN counterpart that the Soviet Pacific forces, and their nukes, were solidly secured against the Defense Minister's coup.

[@el-sig2249]

I always enjoy your short and direct narrative. Brilliant!

[@judecaruso434]

Last time I was this early there was only one French king names Louis

[@trygveblacktiger597]

So.... 1838

[@judecaruso434]

TrygveBlackTiger Media yes black tiger media. I’m not going to fact check you but 1838 was still a long time ago...

[@peculiarpangolin4638]

I think he means 879, when Louis II took the throne of Frankia.

[@aleksandarvil5718]

August Coupists in 1991: "YES, We Are In Charge." Boris Yeltsin: "WELL DA, BUT ACTUALLY NYET." **hicc**

[@POCLEE]

It was until this comment that I remember Yeltsin kinda had a drunkard reputation.

[@azh698]

@@POCLEE "The Us gave us crystal meth And Yeltsin drank himself to death.

[@void_wyrm]

Hyold my beer and vodka *hicc*

[@aleksa8705]

Good comment:*Likes* THX FOR LIKES!!-*dislikes*

[@Nietabs]

Sees good comment: :D Sees the bottom of the comment "Thx for the likes!": :(

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

4:10 Back when Yeltsin was a hero, before he turned ... strange ...

[@gamergumilyov8579]

Sounds like Defence minister Yasov was doing some great trail...

[@mikhailbychkov5042]

My mother was took part in the protests against the coup, staring down tanks with nothing but bare fist. The 90's were a wild time for Russia

[@wilmanman7783]

Mikhail Bychkov i just imagine an old woman kick the soviets ass

[@Ivan_StandWithUkraine]

@@wilmanman7783 she probably wasn't old back the :)

[@Ivan_StandWithUkraine]

in fact we can see that eventually KGB coup won

[@command_unit7792]

@@Ivan_StandWithUkraine Yeltsin Learned not to Trust the west after Nato destroyed Yugoslavia. The Russian people will fight Nato and the global oligarchy until all of its taint is wiped from this earth!

[@anti-emo4721]

@@command_unit7792 Oh, So why there are so many Russian Immigrants in the west then!?

[@xandersnyder7214]

Thank you for making history fun! During this crazy time I am using your videos to help teach my primary school aged kids, keep up the great work!

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

I found this video to be quite informative (and humorous)! Thanks for the video!

[@asemampoumogli6368]

I love the tank in the trash bin at 4:40 !!!!

[@Tylerhicks2]

This channel teaches me more than my lazy school does.

[@xx_donkeyfucker_xx7910]

That’s the first time I’ve heard that that referendum was just to keep the state together and not to keep communism

[@MrZebeda]

The question of the referendum was: "Do you consider necessary the preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a renewed federation of equal sovereign republics in which the rights and freedom of an individual of any ethnicity will be fully guaranteed?" It had no reference to the political system of the reformed, future union. There is a minor inaccuracy in his video because at the time of the referendum they did not really have an idea what the name of the reformed state would be.

[@iapetusmccool]

@@MrZebeda is that an accurate translation? Because if so, that's a rather dodgy phrasing. It would mean people who wanted no reform _and_ people who wanted to break up the union would vote "no".

[@jeyzi8487]

​@@iapetusmccool The context is that Russia largely controlled the federal government so the referendum occurred during a time of worsening national divisions. Ultimately every referendum is oversimplified.

[@arthurq7843]

The question states: *".. preservation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"* which implies that the power would still belong to the Soviets. And this is exactly what people voted for. And right after the referendum that Soviet power was dispersed by the tanks. Basically people were fooled as the question itself was made so it could be interpreted both ways.

[@chingizzhylkybayev8575]

@@iapetusmccool how, exactly?

[@avihauben906]

I love that the portraits in the background keep rotating

[@patchbunny]

I love your background portrait paintings in your videos.

[@hecksters423]

Coup: "Resign" Gorby: *"Nyet!"*

[@TestTest12332]

Which took balls. They could have just killed him.

[@ChaseMcCain81]

@@TestTest12332 yeah

[@DardanellesBy108]

I like watching these more than once since there’s so much humor in the background. Did anyone else catch the battle tank in the trash can at 4:40?

[@parkertitle1923]

I think it would have been better if the tank was converted into a bin

[@GLASSMOSCOWANDBEIJING]

2:36 "Including the defence minister, Dimitry Yazov" My autistic brain: IS THAT A MOTHERFUCKING TNO REFERENCE 🤯🤯🤯🤯😱😱😱

[@hongxiuquan69]

2:30 Hits different now.

[@walruspanda0072]

Communists: “tries a coup to preserve the union.” “Actually fastens the process of destroying the union like a boss.”

[@ruskibeaner5983]

Just like Lavr Kornilov's coup

[@generalr1700]

The original accelerationists

[@chuckleshelicopterwigwamjo7315]

capitalism time

[@The_whales]

It’s like ripping the wires out of a SAM site hoping it would be disabled but instead it fires all its missiles

[@shaeby8123]

@@The_whales "Hey... it looks like the SAM turret just fired all it's missiles at once... ehh it's probably nothi-"

[@1516Medina]

3:56 looks like an unexpected german flag

[@howardvonstauffer]

I managed to notice this as well.

[@justhere4637]

Everywhere I look, I see you. (German flag)

[@thecommunistdoggo1008]

Suddenly this is super relevant again

[@markusskram4181]

Great video as always !

[@gudea5207]

Yenayev: We have the KGB Yeltsin: We have a tank

[@CowboyBurgerofTheWest]

I remember the night in Moscow when this happen I was a photographer never forget what I saw

[@asbest2092]

comunists' madness(which is their normal behavior)

[@Vitorruy1]

Got any photos?

[@hashbrown7845]

It’s funny how Yanayev’s portrait keeps changing lmao

[@SeanBXIII]

>worst attempt at a coup ever yeahhhhh about that....

[@wiffgunderwanted]

So in 1991 we were really close to experiencing the plot of cod 4? Gaz: "We've got civil war in Russia, government loyalists against Ultranationalist rebels, and 15,000 nukes at stake."

[@mansiselyn]

Just another day at the office.

[@maxxxon516]

Everything is fine in the world: There is a civil war in Russia

[@user-sn5cx1yt6v]

Original CoD 4 story line was literally about first and second Chechen wars and Fall of the USSR

[@looinrims]

No because civil war wasn’t on the cards in 1991, and cod 4 is dumb

[@vanbot8757]

I’m just completely throwing my work out the window to watch this

[@cocoseht6651]

Excellent description and explanation.

[@tdegrddeehjgd]

I do like these little videos. They are surprisingly informative. They must have a big budget too to afford all the Canadian actors they have in them.

[@sam08g16]

Wait, this is neither 3 minutes long... Nor 10 minutes long... In what kind of nonsensical world am I living now??

[@HuggieBear39]

I ❤ your story telling and animations. 😀

[@domenicoallegri3935]

How about part 2 of this video right now?

[@wardxg579]

It is wild to think this happened 8 YRS before I was born. Wat an interesting piece of knowledge great vid!

[@Asgoga]

Thank you. I'm glad that you included Lithuania :) . Every Lithuanian who was alive back in 1989-92 couldn't believe what's happening. Nationalism was revived once again and after re-establishment of independence, Soviet's weren't happy so they brought the soldiers and tanks and in the infamous events of January 13th 1991 over dozen people died and many hundreds were injured ( some of them died by being run over by the tanks ). We and our brothers and sisters in Latvia and Estonia fought long and hard against Russians like subjugation into Tsarist Empire and so on...

[@user-zb3ql2yf7d]

Вы маленькая игрушка в наших больших руках...

[@robertbarrows6687]

'Really, the worst attempt at a coup ever." Donald J. Turmp on January 6th, 2021: Hold my cocaine!

[@terranceaddison4599]

😂😂

[@MukyuKnowledge]

damn this aged badly.

[@nativewear23]

Thanks for the info i never knew about this!

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Gorbachev: Let's end the USSR Turkmenbashi: Fine, have it your way. I'll just continue the legacy. Your people viewed Stalin as a god, now I'm a god. I'll even name a city after myself

[@cosmicwakes6443]

Stalin was not viewed as a god. He was the genius who defeated Hitlerian fascism.

[@aleksandarvil5718]

@Avery the Cuban-American Transnistria: "AM i a joke to you, TOVARISHCHI??"

[@MrZebeda]

The Kazakh prime minister recently renamed the capital city of Kazakhstan Nur-Sultan, after the previous prime minister Nursultan Nazarbayev who was Turkmenbashi-Light. :D Nazarbbayev is still alive and kicking.

[@jackster2568]

@@cosmicwakes6443 Hitlerian fascism? I'm afraid that you have to go back if you think that Hitler was a fascist and that Stalin a genius who single handily defeated Hitler ( because lend-lease and the bombing of German cities wasn't instrumental in his defeat). In the end he died how he deserved; in a puddle of his own piss.

[@cosmicwakes6443]

@WarmessageTV Defending Nazism underhandedly by comparing Stalin to Hitler.