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1991 Gorbachev resigns as president of the USSRMikhail Gorbachev announces that he is resigning as presidentof the Soviet Union. In truth, there was not some(prenominal) of a SovietUnion from which to resign--just four days earlier, 11 of theformer Soviet republics had established the Commonwealth ofIndependent States (CIS), effectively dismembering the USSR.The Soviet Union, for all intents and purposes, had alreadyceased to exist.In his f arwell speech to the nation, Gorbachev indicated thatthe recent establishment of the CIS was the primary motive forhis resignation, claiming he was "concerned about the fact thatthe people in this country are ceasing to become citizens of agreat power and the consequences may be very difficult for all ofus to deal with." In words that were sometimes prideful,sometimes resentful, Gorbachev stated that he stood on hisrecord of achievement. He had, he claimed, overseen the SovietUnions trip down the "road of democracy." His reforms& quotsteered" the communist economy "toward the marketeconomy." He declared that the Russian people were "living in anew world" in which an "end has been put to the Cold War andto the arms race." Admitting "there were mistakes made,"Gorbachev remained relentless that he "never had any regrets"about the policies he pursued.In reality, Gorbachev had lost much of his power and prestige inthe Soviet Union steady before the establishment of the CIS. Theeconomy was unstable. No one seemed pleased byGorbachev-some opponents demanded even more politicalfreedom while hard-liners in his government contrasted anymovement toward reform. In August 1991, he survived a coupattempt only through the assistance of Russian Federation