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The Semblance of Democratic Revolution: Coalitions in Ukraine's Orange Revolution

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  • BEISSINGER, MARK R.

Abstract

Using two unusual surveys, this study analyzes participation in the 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine, comparing participants with revolution supporters, opponents, counter-revolutionaries, and the apathetic/inactive. As the analysis shows, most revolutionaries were weakly committed to the revolution's democratic master narrative, and the revolution's spectacular mobilizational success was largely due to its mobilization of cultural cleavages and symbolic capital to construct a negative coalition across diverse policy groupings. A contrast is drawn between urban civic revolutions like the Orange Revolution and protracted peasant revolutions. The strategies associated with these revolutionary models affect the roles of revolutionary organization and selective incentives and the character of revolutionary coalitions. As the comparison suggests, postrevolutionary instability may be built into urban civic revolutions due to their reliance on a rapidly convened negative coalition of hundreds of thousands, distinguished by fractured elites, lack of consensus over fundamental policy issues, and weak commitment to democratic ends.

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  • Beissinger, Mark R., 2013. "The Semblance of Democratic Revolution: Coalitions in Ukraine's Orange Revolution," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 107(3), pages 574-592, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:107:y:2013:i:03:p:574-592_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Dawn Brancati & Adrián Lucardi, 2019. "Why Democracy Protests Do Not Diffuse," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 63(10), pages 2354-2389, November.
    2. Martín Portos, 2025. "After the Storm: Comparing the Determinants of Young People’s Protest Behaviour Across South European Contexts," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 13.
    3. Killian Clarke, 2023. "Ambivalent allies: How inconsistent foreign support dooms new democracies," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 60(1), pages 157-171, January.
    4. Stephen L. Parente & Luis Felipe Sáenz & Anna Seim, 2022. "Income, education and democracy," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 193-233, June.
    5. Holger Albrecht & Kevin Koehler, 2020. "Revolutionary mass uprisings in authoritarian regimes," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 23(2), pages 135-159, June.
    6. Sirianne Dahlum, 2023. "Joining forces: Social coalitions and democratic revolutions," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 60(1), pages 42-57, January.
    7. Dagaev, Dmitry & Lamberova, Natalia & Sobolev, Anton, 2019. "Stability of revolutionary governments in the face of mass protest," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    8. Benjamin Abrams, 2024. "Movement split: how the structure of revolutionary coalitions shapes revolutionary outcomes," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 200(3), pages 473-495, September.
    9. Hassan, Mai & Kodouda, Ahmed, 2023. "Dismantling old or forging new clientelistic ties? Sudan’s civil service reform after uprising," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).

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