EN KOMPARATIV STUDIE OM DEMOKRATISERING I FORNASOVJETISKA STATER : Belarus och Estland

Authoritarian regimes exist in many countries today and represent a global widespread issue. A political transition, from one type of regime to another, does not automatically lead to the establishment of democracy. The disintegration of an authoritarian regime is just as likely to result in the formation of a new authoritarian regime, meaning democracy can never be taken for granted. Of the 15 post-soviet states only three are democracies today, highlighting the challenges faced in this region. Our study aims to contribute to this discussion by analyzing the political development of Estonia and Belarus and exploring why they developed different political systems despite their shared historical heritage being part of the Soviet Union. This is analyzed through the lens of identity, economy, political actors, external influence and legislation. The research question guiding this study is: “What factors explain the differences in the establishment of political systems in Estonia and Belarus following their independence in 1991?” The method used to analyze the material is comparative method with an element of qualitative content analysis. A theoretical framework is used to answer the research question, incorporating theories relevant to each of the identified factors. The findings indicate that most of these factors have significantly influenced the democratization trajectories of the two countries. Estonia exhibited favorable conditions for democratization while Belarus faced less favorable conditions. The factors that contributed most significantly to the democratization process were political actors and external influence.