THE PATH OF VELVET REVOLUTIONS IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE (EXAMPLE OF GEORGIA AND ARMENIA)

Abstract

This study is part of a series of studies on the velvet revolutions in the South Caucasus and aims to highlight the combination of external and internal factors that led to the first two successful revolutions in the South Caucasus. The aim of the study is to analyze both the internal and external socio-political situation that led to the awakening of revolutionary sentiments in Georgia and Armenia. The  presented study discusses various types of scientific sources, and in order to better present the results of the study, the periods preceding the velvet revolutions in a number of post-Soviet countries are described.
The study found that the pre-revolutionary period in both Caucasian states was characterized by dissatisfaction with the existing system among the majority of the population, which was also facilitated by the growing rate of poverty and corruption. Moreover, diasporas oriented towards the Western democratic model (more noticeably in the case of Armenia), which openly supported the change of the established regime, played an important role.
The work highlights the difficult socio-political situation in Georgia and Armenia, the corruption of the current government, and the facts of fraud in both legislative and executive elections.
In addition to the above-mentioned circumstances, the post-Soviet states with failed democracies could not fully develop into authoritarian regimes, which led to the success of the color revolutions. There was a feeling in society that peaceful protest was a civil right and that the state could not and should not suppress it by force.
The purpose of the paper is not to analyze to what extent the new regime that came through the revolution has lived up to public expectations, but rather it is focused on an in-depth analysis of the preconditions for public protest, where the reasons discussed include rigged elections, the undemocratic nature of the current regimes, foreign influence, etc.