Political culture in Ukraine

Abstract

The 'Euromaidan' protests in Ukraine (2013-2014) were motivated by people's great expectations of profound change through implementation of reforms and genuine democratization of the society. The realization of these expectations depends on many preconditions, among them the pattern of political culture, which reflects the readiness of people to contribute actively to the establishment of a new democratic regime in their country. An analysis of the political orientations of citizens over the past two decades shows that only a small part of the population can be called strong democrats, whereas the majority of the population avoids active political participation and holds a rather output-oriented position, which may facilitate the persistence of an authoritarian political regime. On the other hand, a new social movement represented by recently emerged numerous volunteer organizations and initiatives points to a substantial positive change in people's political orientations.