The terrorist attack that took place in Beslan in September 2004 was not only a huge tragedy. The changes in the socio-political structure that took hold after the Beslan tragedy remain relevant to this day. The administrative reforms carried out during this period, aimed at strengthening the vertical of power and the formation of special structures; continue to influence the current socio-political situation. Understanding the socio-political processes of the recent history of RSO-A contributes to the competent and long-term forecasting of trends in modern development. Dissatisfaction with the republican authorities and accusations of incompetence on the part of the opposition resulted in a number of rallies aimed at the resignation of the highest officials of North Ossetia. Among other things, there were calls to storm government buildings and evict some of the population on ethnic grounds. The level of public anxiety rose sharply, leading to a political crisis. The article reconstructs the chronology of social and political events after the terrorist attack in Beslan based on media publications, decrees and legislative acts, as well as autobiographies of the participants of the events. Among the consequences, direct and indirect, we can highlight the resignation of the government, including federal officials at the republican level, the formation of a special Federal Commission for the North Caucasus, the cancellation of gubernatorial elections throughout Russia, the revocation of the status of the President of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, and the resignation of Alexander Dzasokhov. The article presents the dynamics of the political crisis provoked by the September events at both the republican and federal levels. The study reveals that due to the presence of dialogue and a cautious approach to such a tense topic, it was possible to avoid escalation of the situation, radicalization of participants and scaling of violence, preventing a sharp aggravation of the crisis in the republic. The demands of the opposition were largely met, but the focus of the changes was on the formation of the vertical of power. The actions of the authorities resolved the acute political crisis, but the new administration still had work to do to stabilize the situation.