1 août 1991 - Attempted Coup of Gorbachev

Description:

In attempts to maintain communist rule, Soviet forces tried to stage a coup. This failed when millions of Russians led by Boris Yeltsin rallied in support of Gorbachev in Moscow. Following this attempt, the Soviet Union lost it's Communist party power and separated into 15 independent republics. This also led to the collapse of the Soviet Union as a whole.