4 - Regime Change (Maidan)

Summary

Chapter 4 describes the Maidan events – the start of the war. Mass social mobilization began when the government rejected an EU trade agreement. It ended with a regime change. These protests marked the first time since independence that police used excessive force against protesters in a significant way. A radical subset of protesters then used violence strategically against the police. The Party of Regions imploded and power transferred to the opposition. This created a crisis of political legitimacy and two opposing narratives. In one narrative, the illegitimate police violence against protesters finished the regime (“Revolution of Dignity”). In the other, the street violence against the police created an illegitimate political outcome (“fascist coup”). Anti-Maidan protesters in the East formed militias, acting on the second narrative. The roots of Ukraine’s war – whatever one calls it – can thus be traced to Maidan.