1993 Russian constitutional crisis
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The Russian constitutional crisis of 1993 (Russian: Конституционный кризис 1993 года) was a political confrontation in Moscow of the newly formed nation of Russia in 1993, just over a year after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It was between the government of Russia, which included President Boris Yeltsin and anti-Yeltsin oppositions, mostly the Supreme Soviet or the Russian parliamentary forces.
Origins
[change | change source]After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia was governed by the Supreme Soviet, the seat of power during the Soviet era and President Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin, who gained popularity after suppressing the August Coup, launched a new economic reform plan, privatizing state-owned factories and selling off large amounts of state-owned property to the private sector. This led to a rapid economic downturn. The Supreme Soviet opposed Yeltsin's policies, putting the brakes on them, leading to a confrontation between the Yeltsin-led executive branch and the legislature, led by the former Soviet establishment. This, coupled with the economic downturn, provided political leverage for opponents dissatisfied with Yeltsin's reforms. In particular, in April 1993, the former Communist Party and far-left parties secured a majority in the Duma, placing Yeltsin at a political disadvantage. The Supreme Soviet, by putting the brakes on Yeltsin's reforms, partially restricted his power, further exacerbating the conflict between the presidentially led executive branch and the Supreme Soviet-led legislature.
Armed conflict
[change | change source]On 21 September 1993, the Supreme Soviet was dissolved. In response, the Supreme Soviet convened the Congress of People's Deputies on 23 September, impeached the president and appointed Vice President Alexander Rutskoy as president. On 3 October, the Supreme Soviet and pro-Soviet demonstrators entered the Ostankino Tower, occupying it and inciting resistance against Yeltsin. As some of the Internal Troops guarding downtown Moscow joined the Soviets and the pro-parliamentary demonstrations swelled, Yeltsin could no longer delay military intervention. He sent troops to Moscow on 4 October, tank units surrounded the Kremlin Palace, where the Soviet demonstrators were, and at 8:00 a.m., shelled the Duma and sent in troops to occupy it. The Supreme Soviet and its leaders were arrested, and the Duma was forcibly dissolved.
Aftermath
[change | change source]After the violent crackdown on the Russian parliament, Yeltsin banned the Communist Party and all far-left movements on 5 October. Newspapers supporting the parliament were banned and the following day, the Russian Soviet regime was dissolved. This incident virtually destroyed the old Communist Party, but Yeltsin's popularity plummeted, suffering a major political blow.
Related pages
[change | change source]Notes
[change | change source]- ↑ Supporters of Alexander Rutskoy, the Supreme Soviet and the Congress of People's Deputies frequently used those flags. The Russian tricolor itself only remained hoisted at the White House building (see video documentary Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine).
- ↑ Transnistria is a separatist and internationally unrecognized de facto state, regarded as Moldovan territory by all United Nations members.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Russia's New Foreign Policy" (PDF). American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. p. 5. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
Hence their wholehearted support for Yeltsin in his September–October 1993 confrontation with the Left-nationalist radical supporters of the Supreme Soviet. The Czech President Václav Havel said October 4 that the clashes in Moscow were not simply 'a power struggle, but rather a fight between democracy and totalitarianism.' In a joint statement Presidents Lennart Meri of Estonia, Guntis Ulmanis of Latvia, and Algirdas Brazauskas of Lithuania called the struggle in Moscow 'a contest between a democratically elected President and antidemocratic power structures.' Their Moldovan counterpart, Mircea Snegur, called the Supreme Soviet supporters 'Communist, imperialist forces who want to turn Russia into a concentration camp'. 'In my thoughts I am on the barricades with the defenders of Russian democracy, as I was next to them in August 1991,' Eduard Shevardnadze said in a message to the Kremlin on the late afternoon of October 3, 1993, when the outcome looked quite grim for Yeltsin. 'Deeply concerned about the events in Moscow, I am again expressing my resolute support for President Yeltsin and his allies.'
- ↑ "Yeltsin Receives Widespread Backing for Assault". The Washington Post. 4 October 1993. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ↑ "'Russian Revolution of October 1993' seen from office of Moldova's ambassador in Moscow. Op-Ed by Anatol Țăranu, ex-ambassador of Moldova to Russia". IPN press agency. 2023-09-28. Archived from the original on 2024-01-28. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
Unlike Chisinau, the leaders of the Transnistrian separatists supported almost openly the Rutskoy-Khasbulatov camp, sending paramilitaries from Transnistria to the Russian capital to defend the White House. On October 4, the Moldovan ambassador in Moscow gave an interview for the Russian press, in which he warned about the presence of representatives of paramilitary detachments of the Transnistrian separatists among the defenders of the White House.