Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
|
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867614074712358912 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Titus, Naylene Thelicia |
| author2 | De Jager, Nicola |
| author_browse | De Jager, Nicola Titus, Naylene Thelicia |
| author_facet | De Jager, Nicola Titus, Naylene Thelicia |
| author_sort | Titus, Naylene Thelicia |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135765 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:15.146Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135765 The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine Titus, Naylene Thelicia De Jager, Nicola Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Titus, N. T. 2026. The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/d0a46472-19e4-4003-9e46-dbbeedfd24bc Studies show that the wonder and value of democracy remain critical to citizens in authoritarian states, even though there is a rise in democratic decline. The importance of democratic principles and what they could offer still has meaning. Research on democratisation in Eastern Europe has not broadly examined historical context, economic wealth, institutionalisation, external factors and political culture as indicators of democratisation and what these signify for the transition process in Eastern Europe. This research study conducts a comparative analysis of two post-Soviet case studies, Belarus and Ukraine, examining their transition processes and regime outcomes. The democratisation process in Eastern Europe is a historical and cultural journey shaped by many political intricacies. The research study aimed to bring light to the transition experiences of Belarus and Ukraine, to provide a better understanding of the differing regime outcomes, despite their shared communist past. Notwithstanding shared historical experiences and cultural contexts, the political context of the two post-Soviet case studies experienced parallel shifts marked by different political outcomes – Ukraine transitioned into a democracy, while Belarus deteriorated into authoritarianism. The comparative study aimed to understand why Ukraine’s democratic reality did not fit the narrative of Belarus. The comparative case study research design was qualitative in nature, using secondary data collection and document analysis. A transitional framework consisting of indicators of democratisation was developed to compare and analyse the two cases. The contextualisation of Belarus and Ukraine discussed each country’s watershed events, political system, and cultural context in an attempt to understand why Belarus slid back into authoritarianism after initially embracing democratic reforms, while Ukraine managed to democratise. Shortly after independence, both countries initially made significant strides toward democratisation, setting up their constitutions, carrying out elections and upholding civil liberties. However, external factors, such as Russian influence, combined with internal pressures such as economic decline, centralised power structures and a very limited active civil society, fostered authoritarianism in Belarus. Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, disregarded the constitution and set up legislative frameworks in his favour, facilitated through decrees and ordinances. In Ukraine, the ruling party implemented democratic principles through constitutional amendments and control over the judiciary. Belarus functions under the pseudonym of a presidential republic but operates as an authoritarian regime, while Ukraine is a semi-presidential republic with competitive elections and political parties. In terms of elections and leadership, Ukraine has undergone multiple transfers of power through elections, while Belarus has had the same political leader for over three decades. The transition process in Ukraine shows how regular elections, stable political structures, an active civil society and proximity to the West foster democratic reform. In contrast, Belarus’s authoritarianism highlights a centralised power structure, corruption, and Russian alignment. Future research could look into specifically the change in leadership, civil resistance and geopolitical alignment as these shape democratisation and regime outcomes in Belarus and Ukraine, which could narrow down the relevant indicators of democratisation for other post-Soviet states. Masters 2026-04-09T14:15:36Z 2026-04-09T14:15:36Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135765 en Stellenbosch University 144 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Titus, Naylene Thelicia The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine |
| title | The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine |
| title_full | The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine |
| title_fullStr | The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine |
| title_full_unstemmed | The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine |
| title_short | The democratic process and regime outcomes of two post-Soviet states: A comparative case study of Belarus and Ukraine |
| title_sort | democratic process and regime outcomes of two post soviet states a comparative case study of belarus and ukraine |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135765 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT titusnaylenethelicia thedemocraticprocessandregimeoutcomesoftwopostsovietstatesacomparativecasestudyofbelarusandukraine AT titusnaylenethelicia democraticprocessandregimeoutcomesoftwopostsovietstatesacomparativecasestudyofbelarusandukraine |