i will protect you. and that s when he stood up on the tank and indicated to the coup leaders, these guys are with me and not with you. it is a coup by criminals. said yeltsin. because of the liberalization that gorbachev had brought about, the communist party and the military could no longer move against the russian people. and that was earth shaking. tonight moscow s skyline was ablaze with celebration. relief as the symbols of conflict were removed. gorbachev comes back to moscow, but the soviet institutions, the totalitarian system of government that had led this country for 70 years, collapsed virtually overnight. and that was an amazing thing to see. when gorbachev saw evidence that his vision of a free lennonist state wasn t going to come to pass, rather than cracking down so he could stay in the kremlin, he let it happen. that takes a political courage that is so unusual in world history. you are looking at the russian flag flying tonight over the kremlin. just befo
coup leaders, these guys are with me and not with you. it is a coup by criminals. said yeltsin. because of the liberalization that gorbachev had brought about, the communist party and the military could no longer move against the russian people. and that was earth shaking. tonight moscow s skyline was ablaze with celebration. relief as the symbols of conflict were removed. gorbachev comes back to moscow, but the soviet institutions, the totalitarian system of government that had led this country for 70 years, collapsed virtually overnight. and that was an amazing thing to see. when gorbachev saw the evidence, that let his vision of a free lennonist state wasn t going to come to pass, rather
coup leaders, these guys are with me and not with you. it is a coup by criminals. said yeltsin. because of the liberalization that gorbachev had brought about, the communist party and the military could no longer move against the russian people. and that was earth shaking. tonight moscow s skyline was ablaze with celebration. relief as the symbols of conflict were removed. gorbachev comes back to moscow, but the soviet institutions, the totalitarian system of government that had led this country for 70 years, collapsed virtually overnight. and that was an amazing thing to see. when gorbachev saw evidence that his vision of a free lennonist state wasn t going to come to pass, rather than cracking down so he could stay in the kremlin, he let it happen. that takes a political courage that is so unusual in world history.
it is a coup by criminals. said yeltsin. because of the liberalization that gorbachev had brought about, the communist party and the military could no longer move against the russian people. and that was earth shaking. tonight moscow s skyline was ablaze with celebration. relief as the symbols of conflict were removed. gorbachev comes back to moscow, but the soviet institutions, the totalitarian system of government that had led this country for 70 years, collapsed virtually overnight. and that was an amazing thing to see. when gorbachev saw evidence that his vision of a free lennonist state wasn t going to come to pass, rather than cracking down so he could stay in the kremlin, he let it happen. that takes a political courage that is so unusual in world history. you are looking at the russian flag flying tonight over the kremlin. just before the kremlin cameras clicked on today, mikhail
let me put on my glasses here for a moment and read you a piece of wire copy that has just come across on reuters. russian president boris yeltsin ordered all army and kgb units involved in the overthrow of gorbachev to stand down and said he was assuming control on the territory of russia. clearly, there is a major confrontation shaping up in the russian republic. the presidents day began with a succession of meetings and phone calls. among his conversations were one with boris yeltsin whose status in the white house has risen suddenly to that of the potential savior of soviet democracy. when the tanks came in, the commander called him and said i m supposed to attack you, but i will not. i will protect you. and that s when he stood up on the tank and indicated to the coup leaders, these guys are with me and not with you. it is a coup by criminals. said yeltsin. because of the liberalization that gorbachev had brought