Socioeconomic Relations in Post-Soviet Spaces

This research focuses on post-Soviet spaces and the entanglement of political movements that often lead to intense struggles between democratic aspirations and authoritarian tendencies. Although, this research is hyperfocused on Armenia and analyzes political movements that oppose the current pro-democracy government. This study aims to identify and categorize movements, evaluate their democratic and anti-democratic sentiments, and compare them with similar movements that occurred in other post-Soviet countries such as Georgia and Ukraine. This study provided insights into the political landscape and underlying motivations by conducting qualitative field research in Armenia. The specific question to help guide this research is: What are the characteristics and motivations of political movements opposing the current pro-democracy government in Armenia, and how do these movements reflect democratic and anti-democratic sentiments in comparison to similar movements in the post-Soviet space, particularly in Georgia and Ukraine? This research began with a literature review of existing academic works on political movements in the post-Soviet space, with a particular focus on Armenia. This included studying foundational texts like Patronal Politics and Georgia: A Political History Since Independence and analyzing relevant documentaries to identify research gaps. Qualitative field research was then conducted in Armenia, gathering data through interviews, participant observation, and analysis of political discourse. The findings in this research suggest that political movements in Armenia reflect a variety of democratic aspirations and authoritarian tendencies that can be shaped by neighboring countries.