Soviet Congress Votes to Replace USSR With Loose Confederation

The Congress of People’s Deputies of the Soviet Union voted in early September 1991 to replace the centralized USSR with a loose confederation of sovereign states. This restructuring plan, drafted by Mikhail Gorbachev and representatives from 11 republics, allows member states to determine their own level of participation through a union treaty or pursue full independence.

The new interim structure replaces the existing parliament and government with a State Council for foreign and domestic policy, an Inter-Republican Economic Committee, and a senate-style parliament. While the plan seeks to maintain a single military command and a single free economic space, several republics have already moved toward secession.

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania applied for United Nations membership after receiving recognition from the United States, and Azerbaijan declared its independence. The transition occurs amid internal suspicion within the Congress and regional instability, including the establishment of a separate republic of the Dniester in Moldova.