Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship

by Andrew Wilson

Overview

A comprehensive and revelatory history of modern Belarus—from independence to Lukashenka's contested 2020 re-election

"Andrew Wilson has done all students of European politics a great service by making the history of Belarus comprehensible, and by showing how the future of Belarus might be different than its present."—Timothy Snyder, author of Bloodlands

Protests continue in Belarus in the aftermath of 2020's fraught presidential election. In this updated edition of his exploration of Belarus's complicated road to nationhood since it gained independence in 1991, Andrew Wilson has added two new chapters that reveal the extent of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s grip on power, the growth of the opposition movement and the violent crackdown that followed the vote. Wilson also examines the prospects for Europe as a whole of either Lukashenka’s downfall or his survival with Russian support.
 

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300259216
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x (d)

About the Author

Andrew Wilson is professor in Ukrainian studies at University College London and a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation and Ukraine Crisis: What It Means for the West.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Maps viii

Introduction x

Part A Belarus: A History of Crossroads 3

1 Polatsk 18

2 Litva

3 Ruthenia 33

4 Uniate-land 48

5 Belarus Begins 60

6 Belarus Begins Again: The Traumatic Twentieth Century 90

Part B Independent Belarus

7 The Building Blocks of National Identity 121

8 Politics Either Side of Independence, 1989-1994 140

9 Building Authoritarianism: Lukashenka's First Term 168

10 Building an Authoritarian State: Lukashenka's Second Term 194

11 The Third Term: The Edifice Crumbles 209

12 The Myth of the Belarusian Economic Miracle 237

Conclusions: Why Lukashenka? 255

Appendix: The Belarusian Economy Since Independence 261

Notes 262

Index 293

Editorial Reviews

'Andrew Wilson's incisive and accurate judgment and the depth of his research make him a true expert. His ability to convey the complexities of the region's murky politics and tortured history is unparalleled.' - Edward Lucas, Central and Eastern Europe correspondent for The Economist

'Andrew Wilson has done all students of European politics a great service by making the history of Belarus comprehensible, and by showing how the future of Belarus might be different than its present.' - Timothy Snyder, author of Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin

From the Publisher

"Andrew Wilson has done all students of European politics a great service by making the history of Belarus comprehensible, and by showing how the future of Belarus might be different than its present."

New York Times bestselling author Timothy Snyder

"[A] skillfully crafted volume that combines both breadth of scholarship and depth of analysis."—L. Stan, Choice

Choice - L. Stan