Belarus, Eastern Europe, protest, regime, movement, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia
Abstract
What factors weakened the action of the Belarusian protest movement, thus contributing to the strengthening of the Lukašenka regime? The Belarusian government survived the 2020 crisis because the protesters failed to consolidate their political strength, in a context marked by the loyalty of the political class to the 'power pyramid' in Belarus. Comparing the Belarusian protest movement with that of other post-Soviet nations, one can see how the price paid by the regime for its survival (mass repression, socio-economic regression, lack of legitimacy) laid the groundwork for its future collapse.
