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A man tastes the sour cream, the only remaining dairy product available, at a state-owned store in Moscow, Monday, December 24, 1991. By the fall of 1991, however, deepening economic woes and secessionist bids by Soviet republics had made the collapse all but inevitable. The failed August 1991 coup by the Communist old guard was a major catalyst, dramatically eroding Gorbachev’s authority and encouraging more republics to seek independence. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo/File)
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