December Protests in Moscow through the Lenses of Historical Analogies

Analyzing mass protest movements in different countries this paper argues that protests against electoral fraud in Moscow in December 2011 do not represent "Russian Spring," "Orange Revolution," or a new version of Perestroika. Rather they have more in common with the Progressive movement that fought political corruption in the U.S. during the early part of the 20th century. The author notes that protest movement can provide new chances for institutional reforms and social development but only if main elite groups are ready to cooperate in elaboration of new more open and more transparent "rules of the game".