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From the 'Revolution on Granite' to the 'Revolution

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From the 'Revolution on Granite' to the 'Revolution FROM THE ‘REVOLUTION ON GRANITE’ TO THE ‘REVOLUTION OF DIGNITY’: ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS IN POST-SOVIET UKRAINE MAKSYMENKO O. O. Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Kyiv, Ukraine Euromaidan, also known as the ‘Revolution of Dignity’, has undoubtedly become a turning point in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history. Thousands of people poured into the streets, and they not only protested against the government’s sudden decision to abandon the planned signing of landmark agreements with the EU, but also demanded democracy, social justice and civil liberties. However, it was not the first time that Ukrainians overtly expressed their discontent with government policies: Kyiv’s Independence Square, often mentioned as ‘Maidan’, had witnessed at least five waves of civil disobedience by then. The first one, which went down in history as the ‘Revolution on Granite’, took place in 1990 — the year when the socialist world-system was falling apart and communist ideology, as its inseparable part, was leaving the stage. It was a two-week hunger strike initiated by students calling for the resignation of the then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine, Vitalii Masol, who was seen as a major impediment to liberalising the country’s Soviet-style economy [3, p. 1]. The other demands included nationalisation of the Communist Party’s property and multiparty elections. The ‘Revolution on Granite’ is believed to have served as a blueprint for other protest actions such as ‘Ukraine Without Kuchma’ campaign (2000–2001), the ‘Orange Revolution’ (2004), the ‘Tax Maidan’ (2010) and, finally, Euromaidan (2013–2014). Each of them was about different values. For example, the above-mentioned ‘Revolution on Granite’ focused on the right to independence, those who took part in the ‘Orange Revolution’ were interested in fair elections, and Euromaidan participants mainly stood up for the right to choose the country’s geopolitical direction [4]. The author, who worked for three years as a translator and contributor to a news website ‘TürkHaber — Ukrayna Haberleri’ (‘News about Ukraine in Turkish’), presents her viewpoint on the revolutionary events of 2013–2014 and those of 1990. The following section contains excerpts from several articles published on this website. ‘Granitlerin Üstündeki Devrim’den ‘Onur Devrimi’ne Kadar: SSCB Sonrası Ukrayna’da Hükümet Karşıtı Ayaklanmalar 21 Kasım 2013 tarihinde başlayan ve 22 Şubat 2014’e kadar süren Avromeydan adındaki protesto gösterileri, Ukrayna’nın bağımsızlığını elde ettiğinden bu yana en geniş çaplı sivil itaatsizlik eylemi sayılmaktadır. Ukrayna’nın Avrupa Birliği ile Ortaklık Antlasması’nı rafa kaldırma kararına tepki olarak patlayan Avromeydan [6], aslında birbirine zıt olan Batı ve Sovyet sonrası değer sistemlerinin mücadelesine sahne olmuştur. Bilindiği üzere, onlardan biri hukukun üstünlüğü, bireysel sorumluluk, serbest piyasa ekonomisi ve girişimcilik, sivil hak ve özgürlüklere saygı gibi kavramlara dayanırken, diğeriyse ilk önce güçlü bir patrona bağlılık ve kayırmacılık ideolojisiyle beslenir. Ayrıca, kanuna alenî saygısızlık, usulsüzlük ve rüşvet söz konusudur. Ne kadar garip gelse de, böyle bir durum Ukrayna’da yaşayan birçok insan tarafından benimsenip kabul edilmişti [1]. Milyonlarca kişinin günlük yaşantısının her alanına kök salan rüşvet savaşılıp yenilmesi gereken bir kötülük değil, tam tersine işlerin kolaylıkla halledilmesini sağlayan bir iyilik olarak düsünülüyordu. Hâlbuki Avrupa, “gelip alıştığımız düzeni bozacak” diye bir düşman olarak algılanıyordu. Avromeydan, tıpkı dokuz yıl öncesinden gerçekleşen Turuncu Devrim gibi Ukrayna’nın başkenti Kiev’de sınırlı kalmayıp oldukça kısa bir sürede ülkenin diğer bölgelerine de yayıldı. Nitekim, çoğunluğunu liseli ve üniversiteli öğrencilerin oluşturduğu barışçıl eylemcilere karşı polis tarafından şiddet kullanılınca (hatırlatalım ki, 29 Kasımı 30 Kasıma bağlayan gece 4:00 saat sularında İçişleri Bakanlığına bağlı ‘Berkut’ çevik kuvvetleri protestocuların kampını dağıtıp gençleri coplayarak dövdü) Ukrayna’nın Avrupa entegrasyonuna sıcak bakmayanlar bile sokaklara dökülüp gösterilere katıldı. Böylece Avromeydan, daha sonra ‘Onur Devrimi’ ismiyle nitelendirilecek ikinci aşamasına girmiş oldu. İnsanlar, “Herkes herkesi kandırır; yalnız birileri suçüstü yakalanır, diğerleri ise yakalanmayınca dümen başına geçer” diye tanımladıkları düzene bir daha katlanamayacağını anladı ve yıllarca birikmiş hoşnutsuzluğu ve öfkesini dümen başında duranlara yöneltti. Fakat iktidardakiler, kolay kolay pes etmeyecekti. Dönemin Ukrayna Cumhurbaskanı Viktor Yanukoviç, ancak 22 Şubat 2014 tarihinde, polisin ateşli silâh kullanarak ayaklanmayı kanlı bir şekilde bastırmaya çalışmasının ardından, Ukrayna Parlamentosu tarafından azledildi. Sovyet sonrası Ukrayna protesto hareketinin tarihinden bahsetmişken, diğer ‘Meydan’ olaylarını da hatırlamak gerek. Örneğin, yine üniversite öğrencileri tarafından başlatılıp ‘Granitlerin Üstündeki Devrim’ olarak anılan hükümet karşıtı eylemler Ukrayna’nın daha Sovyetler Birligi’ne dâhil oldugu dönemde (2-17 Ekim 1990 tarihleri arasında) yaşanmıştı. Gerçi Sovyetler Birligi’nin dağılmasına ve komünizmin hâkimiyetinin sona ermesine sadece bir yıl kalmıştı. Eylemcilerin büyük bir kısmını oluşturan Ukrayna Öğrenci Kardeşliği ve Öğrenci Birliği üyeleri Bağımsızlık Meydanı’ndaki (o yıllarda Bağımsızlık Meydanı Ekim Devrimi Meydanı adını taşıyordu) granit levhalarla döşeli bir yerde toplanıp küçük bir kamp kurdu ve süresiz açlık grevi başlattı. Kurulan kamp, ‘komünizmden arındırılmış alan’ ilân edildi. Eylemcilerin baslıca talepleri, Ukrayna Komünist Partisi’ne ait mal ve mülkün kamulaştırılması, Ukrayna Sovyet Sosyalist Cumhuriyeti’nin en üst yasama organı olan Yüksek Kurul milletvekillerinin çok partililik ilkesine uyularak yeniden seçilmesi ve dönemin Bakanlar Kurulu başkanı Vitaliy Masol’un istifa etmesiydi. Ülkeyi yöneten komünist hükümeti, protesto eylemlerinin basında uyandırdığı yankıyı dikkate alarak eylemcilerin taleplerini kısmen yerine getirdi. Birçok araştırmacıya göre, tamamen kansız bır şekilde geçip başarıyla sonuçlanan bu protesto gösterileri, başta Turuncu Devrim olmak üzere diğer siyasî protestoların da başlangıç noktası olmuştur [5, s. 95]. References: 1. Berktay D. Yeni bir Turuncu Devrim mi? (Is This a New Orange Revolution?) // Cumhuriyet Gazetesi (The Republic). [Electronic resource]. — Access mode: http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/dunya/16943/Yeni_bir_turuncu_devrim_mi_.ht ml. 2. Maksymenko O. Ukraine’s Euromaidan in Turkish Media. [Electronic resource]. — Access mode: https://tasa.org.au/wp- content/uploads/2018/02/olga_maksimenko-2.pdf. 3. New Imaginaries: Youthful Reinvention of Ukraine’s Cultural Paradigm / Ed. and transl. by M. J. Rubchak. — New York: Berghann Books, 2015. 4. Stanowski K. Poland’s Revolutionary Lessons for Ukraine // Atlantic Council. Working Together to Secure the Future. [Electronic resource]. — Access mode: http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/poland-s-revolutionary- lessons-for-ukraine. 5. Stehnii O. Fenomen Maidanu v interpretatsii molodykh sotsiolohiv (The Phenomenon of Maidan, as Interpreted by Young Sociologists) // Postsotsialistychni suspil’stva: Riznomanittia sotsial’nykh zmin (Post-Socialist Societies: The Diversity of Social Changes). Kyiv: Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 2014. — P. 94–103. 6. Ukraine: Fight for Freedom. [Electronic resource]. — Access mode: http:// ukrainefreedom.org..
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