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DearReader,
Arerevolutionsreallythe“locomotivesofhistory”,asKarlMarxassertedback
inthe19thcentury?Whenin2013ViktorYanukovychfailedtosigntheAssociation
AgreementwiththeEuropeanUnionandUkrainianstooktothestreetstodemand
theirEuropeanpathmanybelievedthatindeedwasthecase.However,oncethe
flamesofrebellionfadedandUkrainebegantostruggletofnditselfinanotherpost-
revolutionreality,itremainsprudenttoask:hasrevolutionsimplybecomeaperma-
nentfeatureofthecountry’spoliticalculture?
Asamatteroffact,thequestionastohowmanyrevolutionsmodernUkraine
hashadremainsopenanddebatable.Notsurprisingly,mostpeoplewouldsaythat
thereweretwo:theOrangeRevolutionandtheEuroMaidan.Inthisissuewereturn
tothethesisthatPawełKowalandMaciejWapińskiputforwardthreeyearsagoin
NewEasternEuropewhichaddsthe1990students’hungerstriketothesequence
ofrevolutionaryeventsinUkraine.Consequently,ourauthorsmapthecountry’s
post-Soviettransformationthroughtheprismofrevolutionaryevents.
Naturally,politicaltransformations,peacefulornot,havenotbeenlimitedto
Ukraine.Theyhavebeenoccurringinmanyareasofthepost-Sovietspace.Thisfact
hasbeencherishedintheWest.However,thepictureofArmenia,aspenneddown
byMałgorzataNocuń,illustrateshowsuchanassumptionisnotentirelycorrect.
Evenonceapartofthesameunit,weneedtolookatthepost-Sovietrepublicsas
statesthathavetakendifferentpathsinthelastdecadesandcontinuetoexperience
differentpressuresfromRussia.Tounderstandthisfurtherweshouldcautiouslyfol-
lowthedevelopmentswithinthem,aswellaswithinRussia.Agoodstartarethree
texts:SeanGuilloryonthefailureoftheRussianproteststoachieveanysustainable
success,DanielWańczykonthechangestakingplaceinthelifeoftheArcticseenin
theexampleofVorkutaandWojciechSiegieńwhonotestheindoctrinationthrough
educationthatisnowincreasinglypresentintheRussianFederation.
Wepointtothesephenomenaasweenterinto2017.Ahundredyearsafterthe
OctoberRevolutionwhichbroughtsignifcantchangestothisregionandwhose
legacyisstillfeltinmanysocietiestoday.
WishingyouapleasantreadandallthebestfortheNewYear.
TheEditors
