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Research Studies

Bishara tries to illustrate how historic events may repeat themselves, comparing the attempted coup d'état in the Soviet Union, which took place on 18 August 1991, with a similar rebellion led by Bonaparte in the first half of the 19th century when the French bourgeoisie controlled the political authority. The failed coup d'état in the Soviet Union was one of the rare historical events where a superpower faced a rebellion and where the whole political system fell apart. The paper covers the 1991 events in the Soviet Union, the rise of Boris Yeltzin to power, and the election on 12 June after the storm in Moscow. Also included is an outlook on the shaky future of the Perestroika. It is argued that the overthrow had not only failed because it lacked the backing of a personality like Trotzki, but also because it had been too hasty in referring to itself as a coup d'état.