The Orange Revolution is one of the most important events that caused the democratic erosion in the history of Ukraine. This revolution caused both the loss of trust in the government and the decrease in the belief in democracy in Ukraine. In this context, it is important to evaluate the internal dynamics of Ukraine on the way that started with the 2004 Orange Revolution and extended to the 2014 Revolution.
“If they try to cheat the will of the people, if they do not obey the will of the people, I will be on the streets with thousands of my people and my struggle will go until the last moment, this decision has no plan B… The people of Ukraine are ready to do anything to rule their own country with their own values.” Viktor Yushchenko
These words of Viktor Yushchenko are about the presidential elections of 31 October 2004, which caused a great struggle in Ukraine and resulted in the Orange Revolution. 26 candidates, including Viktor Yushchenko, who entered the election with the support of the West, and Viktor Yanukovych, who was supported by Russia, took part. The rivalry between these two candidates, who made it to the second round, flared up further with Yanukovych getting about 3% more votes than Yushchenko. Yushchenko and his supporters, who claimed that the elections were rigged in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, decided to start demonstrations in front of the Independence Square and the Ukrainian Parliament. The movement, named after Yushchenko’s use of the color orange in his election campaign, brought Viktor Yushchenko to the presidency with the vote held on December 26, 2004, after the court ruled that the results of the second round were invalid and the vote was re-run.
The reasons for the 2014 protests and the Orange Revolution in Ukraine today must be sought in the same place: Ukraine’s internal dynamics. With the polls made after the Orange Revolution, it was revealed that some of the Ukrainian people saw the Orange Revolution as a conscious struggle to protect their rights, and some saw it as a Western-backed coup. For a healthy analysis of Ukraine, which has experienced its most violent demonstrations since the Orange Revolution, the division of the people and the extent to which external factors affect the internal dynamics should be well observed (Popova, 2014).
Ukraine, which gained its independence with the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991, cannot provide stability due to its divisions. The starting point of the 2014 events is the announcement by the Ukrainian authorities that the Free Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which was expected to be signed at the Eastern Partnership Summit held in Vilnius on 28-29 November 2013, has been suspended by Ukraine, which has established good relations with the EU for a long time. On the other hand, the hope of the young people in the society, which is fed up with the bureaucracy due to the bribery all around, leaves the country (Shekhovtsov, 2013). In fact, the protests are indicative of a rift between Ukraine’s political elite. The capitalist class formed by Yanukovych and his supporters is Russian-oriented and they consider the Ukraine-Russia relationship to be vital. In the West, elites have turned to the European Union for investment opportunities and business connections. On the one hand, there are deep-rooted power holders who are extremely wealthy, have strong connections with Russia and have unlimited dominance over the military, and on the other hand, there are elites capable of turning strong capital interests oriented towards the EU into political interests.
During this period, the protests, which appear as the right to hold meetings and demonstration marches, which are an integral part of democracy, and the right to freedom of expression, have brought a different perspective to the political structure of the country. Also, in order to predict the results of the protests, it is necessary to analyze the mass of the street well. The movement in general does not consist of supporters of traditional opposition parties, as is thought. Among the demonstrators is a strong student body, not affiliated with a party, influenced by the Occupy Wall Street movement, and distanced from the EU or pro-capitalist stance (Dickinson, 2020). Even though the opposition parties try to show these young people as one with their base, it is clear that the Ukrainian youth do not see themselves that way. The most basic example of this is; students’ calls to eliminate party symbols. There is no working class in the field with its own demands and in an independent role. General strike calls are made, but these are thought to be made by opposition political parties. The far-right group is a prominent part of the protests. Standing out among the crowd, Dmitro Korchinsky is the leader of the Brastvo (Brotherhood) Group, which defines its ideology as “Christian Orthodox milianarchism”. Although this is how the group describes itself, it does nothing more than cast aside anarchism and apply a mix of power-hungry orthodoxy and ultra-nationalism. Another right-wing group seen in the field is the Svoboda (Liberty) Party, a nationalist organization led by Oleh Tyahnbok. The party has a young and active member profile, and they are trying to gain the sympathy of the people by organizing aggressive actions in all kinds of problems that the public is sensitive to (Kennan Institute, 2005).
So, if we re-examine all the internal dynamics at hand, we conclude that the protests in Ukraine are due to different reasons. In Ukraine, the demands are increasing as well as the crowd. There is a right-wing rebellion against a reactionary regime in Ukraine, where the passion for freedom and the rejection of Yanukovych-style politics stands out.
References:
- Photo by: https://www.timeturk.com
- Dickinson, Peter. (2020). How Ukraine’s Orange Revolution Shaped Twenty-First Century Geopolitics. Atlantic Council. November 22, 2020
- Kennan Institute, The Orange Revolution and the Maidan Parliament. Wilson Center. January 18, 2005.
- Popova, Maria. (2014). Why the Orange Revolution Was Short and Peaceful and Euromaidan Long and Violent. Problems of Post-Communism. Vol. 61. 10.2753/PPC1075-8216610605.
- Shekhovtsov, Anton. (2013). The “Orange revolution” and the “sacred” birth of a civic-republican Ukrainian nation. Nationalities Papers. 41. 10.1080/00905992.2013.775114.