«Color revolutions»: essence, main factors and characteristics

Abstract

The article defines the essence of the concepts «protest», «revolution» and «color revolution», highlights the characteristic features of «color revolutions» and the main factors affecting the possibility of their implementation.
Among scientists, there are discussions about the essence of color revolutions and, accordingly, there is no clear understanding of them. Based on the analysis of the views of many domestic and foreign researchers, it was found that the term "color revolution" is used as a generalized name for the process of changing the political elite that is taking place as a result of peaceful protests and rallies, the cause of which was some contradiction between the state and society.
The article examines various prerequisites and factors influencing the appearance of «color revolutions» and reveals that all the causes of the appearance of "color revolutions" can be divided into economic, political and social, as well as external and internal, according to the criterion of the sphere of influence. Among the main factors of the emergence of "color revolutions" it is worth mentioning the relatively low standard of living of the population, as well as significant socio-economic difficulties; the presence of contradictions between the ruling elite and the people regarding political issues and, as a result, the existence of social tension among the population; pronounced inequality in the distribution of power and resources, lack of a system of social control over the activities of the ruling elite and its entourage; delegitimization of power; sharp contradictions within the ruling elite; the existence of a strong opposition. The most important factor for the emergence of "color revolutions" in the territories of post-communist countries was the falsification of political elections:
Considerable attention in the article is devoted to highlighting the main characteristic features of «color revolutions». It was found that their main features are the following: peaceful, bloodless character, the main form of their implementation is rallies, demonstrations; significant role of non-governmental organizations in their implementation; the emergence of new opposition leaders and the formation of youth movements; support from international structures.