Politburo, puh LIHT byur oh, or POL iht byoor oh, was the political bureau of the Central Committee that controlled the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1919 to 1991. Before 1990, the Politburo included the most powerful members of the party, and all important decisions in the Soviet government needed the Politburo's approval. But in 1990, the Politburo's power was greatly reduced when its role was limited to the development of party policy. In August 1991, several Communist officials failed in an attempt to overthrow Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev and take control of the government. After the attempt, the Soviet parliament suspended all Communist Party activities, including those of the Politburo. In December 1991, the Soviet Union broke up into a number of independent states.