Kazakhstan: The Last Soviet Republic to Leave

In 1990, the USSR began to crumble as Lithuania initiated a wave of secessions that saw most Soviet states depart by the end of 1991.

By December, only Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan remained. Belarus left on December 10th, and two days later, Russia followed, leaving Kazakhstan as the last republic standing. This raises an intriguing question:

Why was Kazakhstan the final Soviet republic to leave?

As the Soviet Union disintegrated, a power struggle unfolded between Mikhail Gorbachev, who sought to preserve the USSR, and Boris Yeltsin, who aimed for an independent Russia. Yeltsin's moves led to the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) with Belarus and Ukraine, sidelining Kazakhstan in the process.

This exclusion angered Kazakhstan, whose leader, Nursultan Nazarbayev, sought to negotiate a compromise that could preserve some form of union.

Kazakhstan hoped to maintain close ties with Russia and ensure stability during this period of uncertainty. Despite these efforts, the reality of the USSR's collapse became unavoidable.

By December 16th, 1991, Kazakhstan, too, declared independence. The final blow came ten days later, when the newly independent states formally dissolved the USSR, with Russia becoming its successor.

Kazakhstan's late departure was not a refusal to leave but a last-ditch effort to maintain a connection with the collapsing Soviet Union, a hope that ultimately proved futile.

Best Regards,

TASIF

From Lockedincircuit.