The Last Soviet Republic Alexander Lukashenkos Belarus Stewart Parker by Stewart Parker 9781425135270, 1425135277 instant download after payment.

Alexander Lukashenko became president of the Republic of Belarus in 1994. His actions since then have earned him both praise, and criticism. Despite being elected he has been called a dictator, with subsequent elections denounced as fraudulent, and in 2004 the US Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice included Belarus in her list of 'Outposts of Tyranny'.Lukashenko himself has been called both a fascist and a communist, and thus frequently compared with Hitler, and Stalin. His external criticism is severe, and internal opposition claim that they are persecuted, and even that their activists have been 'disappeared'.[...]A nation, or indeed an individual cannot be understood without examining their history, and this is particularly the case in nations 'born' from larger entities. The former colonies in Africa, and the newly created sovereign nations of the Balkans cannot be studied without reference to the British Empire or Yugoslavia, This is also the same for the former Soviet republics.
Belarus has a relatively short history as a nation, and most of its key development was as a Soviet Socialist Republic. For this reason the first part of this book will deal with the historical development of Belarus, and the influence of the Soviet Union on the Belarusian people and culture.
All too many opinions of Lukashenko are formed with little knowledge of him, or of the history of Belarus. Frequent comparisons are made with Poland, despite a different culture, history, and social structure.
What effect then has Lukashenko had on Belarus, how is it performing in the economic and social field? What are his methods, and are they justifiable? This book intends to examine these questions, particularly in comparison with the other former Soviet and socialist countries. Has Lukashenko taken a step back? Or is his approach progressive and positive?