aug 1, 1991 - The Soviet Union Breaks Apart

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The Soviet Union attempted to stage a coup in a last-gasp attempt to maintain communist rule. However, millions of Russians led by Boris Yeltsin, rallied in the streets of Moscow in support of Gorbachev, the coup fell apart. Shortly afterward, the Communist Party lost power, and the Soviet Union separated into dependent 15 independent republics. Boris Yeltsin became the new leader of the Russian Federation. Most acknowledge that Gorbachev's policy of glasnost was the cause of rebellions agaisnt Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.

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