Contemporary
August Coup (1991): The Failed Hardliner Putsch in Moscow
The coup collapsed after three days; it destroyed the authority of the Communist Party and hastened the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.
Region
Europe
Contemporary
Dissolution of the Soviet Union (1991): End of the USSR
The USSR ceased to exist on 26 December 1991 and was replaced by 15 independent states; Russia took over the Soviet seat on the UN Security Council.
Contemporary
Ten-Day War (1991): Slovenia's Short Fight for Independence
Slovenian victory; the Brioni Agreement ended the fighting and the Yugoslav army withdrew from Slovenia by October 1991.
Contemporary
January Events (1991): The Soviet Assault on Vilnius
Soviet forces seized the TV tower and other buildings but failed to take the parliament; 14 civilians died and Lithuania's independence drive gained world sympathy.
Contemporary
Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995): Vukovar to Storm
Croatia secured its independence and regained control of its full territory, completed by the peaceful reintegration of Eastern Slavonia in 1998.
Contemporary
Breakup of Yugoslavia (1991–2008): Collapse of a Federation
The federation dissolved into Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, with Kosovo declaring independence in 2008; wars killed an estimated 130,000–140,000 people.
Contemporary
Bosnian War (1992–1995): Conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The war ended with the Dayton Agreement of 1995, which kept Bosnia and Herzegovina as one state divided into two entities.
Contemporary
Siege of Sarajevo (1992–1996): Longest Siege of a Modern Capital
The city held out for almost four years; the siege ended after NATO air strikes and the Dayton Agreement, and Bosnian Serb commanders were later convicted of war crimes.
Contemporary
Maastricht Treaty (1992): The Birth of the European Union
The twelve European Community states created the European Union, introduced EU citizenship and set the rules and timetable for economic and monetary union.
Contemporary
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia (1993): The Velvet Divorce
Czechoslovakia ceased to exist and was peacefully replaced by two independent states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Contemporary
Channel Tunnel (1994): Linking Britain and France Under the Sea
The first fixed link between Britain and continental Europe since the Ice Age opened, carrying shuttle trains, Eurostar passenger trains and freight.
Contemporary
Dayton Agreement (1995): The Deal That Ended the Bosnian War
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina ended, and the country was preserved as one state made up of two largely autonomous entities under international supervision.