For several months now, the whole world has been closely watching what is happening in Ukraine. You can hear different opinions about why it all started and who is to blame. Dear politicians even diverged in their interpretation of who such a radical is in general and in Ukraine in particular. Western officials said the pogroms and the armed seizure of buildings on Maidan are just peaceful protests of desperate people. At the same time, they openly supported the neo-fascists and fed everyone dissatisfied with cookies, not forgetting once again to remind Russia that it is not good to interfere in the affairs of a sovereign state . The situation began to look even more paradoxical when rallies of people began in the eastern regions of the country who did not recognize the new government, which they rightly considered illegitimate. Western politicians immediately accused them of separatism and called them radicals. Understanding the intricacies of political intrigue is very difficult, but you can try. To do this, you need to understand what the term “radical” itself means and whether it is worth fighting with people who are assigned to this group.
What is a radical?
In every society, no matter how perfect it may seem, there are problems. They can be solved in various ways, but the most effective is the implementation of reforms. The restructuring of any social formation, be it politics or economics, is impossible without the participation of ordinary citizens. At the same time, each of them sees his own way out of this situation. One group of people, usually the largest, tends to gradual change. Another part of the population believes that carrying out reforms under this socio-political system is simply impossible, therefore it must be destroyed. Such people are called radicals. Their number, as a rule, does not exceed 3% of the total number of politically active citizens.
The concept of "radical" in itself should not carry any negative meaning. Everyone has the right to express their opinion, no matter how contradictory it may be. To some extent, even people with non-traditional sexual orientation are a radical minority. The denial of universally recognized values should not be prosecuted unless the opinion is forcibly imposed on others.
The situation changes radically when beliefs begin to be imposed with the help of force and weapons. In this case, those who disagree are beaten, intimidated, and even executed. The most dangerous for society is the spread of radical sentiments regarding national chosenness. The theory based on them is very close to fascism. People who share it usually call for cleansing the country of their opponents, who are blamed for all troubles. Something similar is just observed today in Ukraine.
What is Maidan and how did it all begin?
For many, the Maidan is a symbol of the riots and pogroms of 2004. The television picture, which was shown by the media then, is not much different from 2014, only the new Euromaidan brand has appeared. In fact, the fashionable Ukrainian word means only a place for a popular gathering. Independence Square is Independence Square, located in the very center of Kiev.
The situation that develops in a European state with the full approval of Western countries is very surprising. It seems that politicians have forgotten who the radical is and what can be expected from him, if you give the machine in hand.
Rallies for integration with Europe took place quite peacefully until the moment when armed people with closed faces and under the guise of protesters began to organize provocations. Western politicians did not want to know who the radicals on Maidan were, but they made it clear that it was impossible to use force against them. That is why the representatives of law enforcement agencies had to experience the fury of the crowd instigated by paid provocateurs.
The responses of the Orange Revolution
Some political scientists and ordinary citizens stubbornly do not want to notice the striking similarities between the Orange Revolution and Euromaidan. But if you think about it, it is very difficult to find at least 5 differences. The slogans under which the protesters came out to protest in both cases were used by a narrow circle of people in their own interests. Europe and the USA, both in 2004 and 2014, limited themselves to calls for stabilization of the situation and promises of financial assistance.
We must not forget how the period of the Orange Revolution ended. The power that came back then showed complete failure, and a new head of state was elected in the elections. Yanukovych faced a very difficult task, and he could not cope with it. At the same time, the new revolutionaries sponsored from abroad, following the example of their predecessors, decided not to put the matter back on the table. They revised the national question in their favor. And so now it is no longer clear who such radicals are in Ukraine.
The influence of radicals on the actions of Ukrainian protesters
Some experts who share the generally accepted idea of who the radical is are saying that there were few of these people on the Maidan, they were unarmed, and therefore they could not influence the situation. Such a position cannot be taken seriously. Scientific papers on the psychology of the crowd say that one provocateur is enough for all protesters to act aggressively. In addition, there were not so few militants with machine guns representing the nationalist Right Sector movement and the power block of the Freedom Party.
Radicals in politics
Every country has radically minded politicians. In their opinion, it is necessary to solve problems in a completely different way than is done now. Among the supporters of this concept are, as a rule, members of ultra-right parties, whose number is growing steadily, especially in Europe. At the same time, they in no way call on citizens to an armed coup; on the contrary, they participate in elections on a common basis.
People who came to power in Ukraine today owe their position to the militants. Proof of this is that many of the radical people got high posts immediately after the armed coup. A vivid example is the Freedom Party, which does not have the necessary support of the people, but is widely represented in the highest echelons.
If the question of who such radicals are in politics is extremely controversial, then neo-fascist parties are officially considered “non-shaking hands” around the world. Nevertheless, this does not prevent some internationally wanted candidates from running for President of Ukraine, dictating their will to other politicians and enjoying Western support. Indeed, many of the top politicians express sympathy for such people. In the European press it is customary to call them patriots and adherents of right-wing views.