TRANSITOLOGICAL MODEL OF DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN POST-COMMUNIST COUNTRIES. INFLUENCE OF POLITICAL OPPOSITION

The article deals with the transitological and historical aspects of the patterns of political transition from authoritarian to democratic regime in the past satellites of the Soviet bloc and the former Soviet republics in the period from the 1980s to the late 1990s. Particular attention is paid to the model of democratic transformation on the way to becoming a stable democracy in these countries. The formation and functioning of political opposition, influence on the development of political environment in the former satellites of the Soviet bloc are analyzed. Analyzing political transformations in former authoritarian countries offers ample opportunity for a comprehensive study of the process of becoming a democracy. At this point in time, understanding the transformation processes in the direction of democracy is realized through the lens of transitological ideas. The cases of transition from authoritarianism to democracy are quantitatively outweighed by the opposite. This is evidenced by the historical processes that have taken place in the Eurasian continent since the 80's and ending in the 90's of the last century. This period of time was marked by the elimination of the communist and socialist camps, followed by a political movement towards a stable democracy. Some countries have reached their final destination, some have stalled at the political crossroads, and only a few have returned to their starting point — authoritarianism. The main role in determining the political vector of any state is played by the balance of political, legal, social, cultural and economic demands of society, which is a significant indicator of change. Such requests are reflected, inter alia, in the balance of power and opposition. In these circumstances, the study of the structure of democratic transformations, factors of influence and its elements in general requires detailed attention. The purpose of the article is to develop a generalized model of democratic transformations, factors of influence and its elements, which will allow to understanding more deeply the mechanism of the course of political transformations on the state's path from authoritarianism to democracy. The author proposes a model of the progress of democratic transformations, which consists of the following elements: 1. The first stage is the emergence of a public desire for democracy, which consists of sub-stages: spreading discontent with the authoritarian system; activation of opposition movements; the formation of an organized opposition that brings together ideologically diverse political groups, united by one common purpose — to overthrow an authoritarian regime. 2. The second stage is the transition, which is divided into the following sub-stages: the beginning of political pluralism; wide integration of democratic ideas into the apparatus of public authority. 3. The third stage is the functioning of a stable democracy, that is, the achievement of a consolidated democracy. The main factor in the course of democratic transformation is analyzed — political opposition, which is a direct embodiment of the dissatisfaction of the society with the authoritarian system and the carrier of alternative ways of development of society.