The Fall of the Soviet Union

The August 1991 Coup in Moscow, 20 Years Later

Document 1.  “Three Days in Foros,” excerpt from Anatoly Chernyaev Diary.

Document 2.  Rodric Braithwaite, “Moscow, August 19:  The First Day of the Coup,” Telegram of 20 August 1991.

Document 3.  George Bush-Felipe Gonzalez Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 19, 1991.

Document 4.  George Bush-Vaclav Havel Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 19, 1991.

Document 5.  George Bush-Jozsef Antall Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 19, 1991.

Document 6.  George Bush-Boris Yeltsin Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 20, 1991.

Document 7.  George Bush-Boris Yeltsin Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 21, 1991.

Document 8.  George Bush-Mikhail Gorbachev Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, August 21, 1991.

Document 9.  Transcript of the First Extraordinary Session of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, August 21, 1991.


Please select a document (1-9) from "The August Coup" and sign up in the comments section. Two students may share a document. If you decide to share a  document, please be sure to discuss the assignment with your co-presenter before you prepare your research, as you will be presenting together.

Presentation Guidelines: 

1. Summarize the document.
2. Find one interesting quotation from the selection, share the quote, and explain it.
3. Explain the importance of your document and its relationship to the fall of communism.
4. Sum up your findings and describe what you learned from reading the document.
5. If you share a dialogue document, your quote should include portions of the dialogue read together with your partner.

Note:  Your presentation should use note cards. These will not be handed in.