A Brief History of People Power
The Orange Revolution, Ukraine, 2004
Inspired in part by the events in nearby Georgia, activists and demonstrators began occupying central parts of Kiev in November 2004 after it appeared that the results of a runoff vote between Moscow-leaning Viktor Yanukovych and the more pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko had been rigged in favor of Yanukovych. Earlier in the rancorous election campaign, which reflected an increased polarization between the more Russian east of the country and its more Ukrainian west, it seems Yushchenko had suffered dioxin poisoning. He survived, but the murkiness of the alleged assassination attempt further inflamed the situation. Eventually, the protests forced a repeat runoff, which Yushchenko won handily. But the Orange Revolution later lost momentum, and in a 2010 election, Yanukovych swept back into power.