Date of Award

Spring 5-17-2020

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Political Science

First Advisor

Andrew Flibbert

Abstract

Armenia is a country with a long and complicated history. This project explores Armenia and the 2018 Armenian Velvet Revolution. In order to understand the Velvet Revolution, other cases of Color Revolutions should be explored -- the Bulldozer Revolution in Serbia, the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, and the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan. External factors that led Armenia and Armenians towards the Velvet Revolution are discussed. The three main focuses are Democratic Diffusion and Linkage/Leverage, the role of the West and Western NGOs, and the role of Russia when it comes to Armenia’s decision-making process. This project also explores the domestic problems that Armenia faced, which ultimately led the country towards the Velvet Revolution. While Armenia faces many domestic problems --anything from poverty and unemployment to distrust in the government -- this project specifically focuses on oligarchy, poor living conditions, electoral fraud, and dissatisfied youth. Those four specific aspects were chosen as electoral fraud and dissatisfied youth are central issues to any Color Revolution, while an oligarchy and poor living conditions culminate in themselves many of the issues that citizens of Armenia are faced with. Last but not least, the situation in Armenia during and after the Velvet Revolution was discussed. The power struggle that followed the Velvet Revolution, how Armenia’s foreign relations changed under Pashinyan’s government, and what domestic improvements were implemented by the new government are discussed.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College, Hartford, CT for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science

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