End of Leadership
Gorbachev was a well-liked leader, but in his efforts to do good, he essentially brought about his own collapse from leadership. One of the causes was his highly-praised "Glasnost." This increased his popularity at first, but because he encouraged capitalism and most citizens were happy with it, people began to stray from his actual party, communism. As a result, people thought that communism was nonexistent, so when Gorbachev tried to reinforce that the USSR was still communist, citizens became unhappy.
The final blow to Gorbachev's leadership was known as the August Coup. This was in August 1991, when Gorbachev was kidnapped by a group of hard-line communists who felt his views were too relaxed. They put Gorbachev under house arrest in his country home. This event ended when Boris Yeltsin, one of the Soviet cabinet members, arrived outside of the Parliament Building in Moscow, where the kidnappers were staying. Yeltsin came with an armada of tanks. He climbed out of the leading tank and demanded that the men who had taken Gorbachev exit the building. Knowing that they were defeated, the kidnappers appeared outside. They agreed to release Gorbachev immediately. Afterward, Yelstin`s popularity soared while Gorbachev began to fade from the political scene. On August 24, 1991, knowing that the Soviet Union would soon dissolve, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned his position as General Secretary and leader of the Soviet Union.
The final blow to Gorbachev's leadership was known as the August Coup. This was in August 1991, when Gorbachev was kidnapped by a group of hard-line communists who felt his views were too relaxed. They put Gorbachev under house arrest in his country home. This event ended when Boris Yeltsin, one of the Soviet cabinet members, arrived outside of the Parliament Building in Moscow, where the kidnappers were staying. Yeltsin came with an armada of tanks. He climbed out of the leading tank and demanded that the men who had taken Gorbachev exit the building. Knowing that they were defeated, the kidnappers appeared outside. They agreed to release Gorbachev immediately. Afterward, Yelstin`s popularity soared while Gorbachev began to fade from the political scene. On August 24, 1991, knowing that the Soviet Union would soon dissolve, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned his position as General Secretary and leader of the Soviet Union.