dec 25, 1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev Resigns

Description:

As the leader of Russia, Gorbachev wanted to encourage trade and increase revenue for the country so that the economy could be relieved of some of its burdensome military costs. He withdrew Soviet troops from Afghanistan and retracted the Brezhnev Doctrine. In 1991 Gorbachev wanted democratic reforms in Russia, but on August 8, he faced a group of communists who staged a coup d'etat, trying to assume his position and power in government. Boris Yeltsin, president of the Russian Republic, called for non-violent resistance. Citizens of Moscow protected Yeltsin and his followers and did not follow the coup, which then failed. When Gorbachev returned and realized the changes that had been made with Yeltsin in charge, he then resigned as head of the communist party, ending what was left of the USSR.