Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship

A comprehensive and revelatory history of modern Belarus - from independence to 2020's contested election

In 2020 Belarus made headlines around the world when protests erupted in the aftermath of a fraught presidential election. Andrew Wilson explores both Belarus's complicated road to nationhood and its politics and economics since it gained independence in 1991. Two new chapters reveal the extent of Aliaksandr Lukashenka's grip on power, the growth of the opposition movement and the violent crackdown that followed the vote. Wilson also examines the prospects for Europe as a whole of either Lukashenka's downfall or his survival with Russian support.
 
'Andrew Wilson has done all students of European politics a great service by making the history of Belarus comprehensible and by showing how the future of Belarus might be different than its present.'--Timothy Snyder, author of Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin

'Andrew Wilson's incisive and accurate judgment and the depth of his research make him a true expert. His ability to convey the complexities of the region's murky politics and tortured history is unparalleled.'--Edward Lucas, Central and Eastern Europe correspondent for The Economist

'Andrew Wilson has done all students of European politics a great service by making the history of Belarus comprehensible, and by showing how the future of Belarus might be different than its present.'-- Timothy Snyder, author of Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin

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Andrew Wilson is professor in Ukrainian studies at University College London and a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation and Ukraine Crisis: What It Means for the West.