Paper long abstract:

The recent political crisis was an example of underestimation of the gap between the Armenian government and society at large. The difficult economic situation, the poverty of the population and unresolved political and social problems, on the one hand, and the popular anger at the oligarchic system of governance and pervasive corruption, on the other, sharply increased people's dissatisfaction with the former Armenian government. This study, carried out through documentary research from a qualitative perspective, aimed to analyze the reasons and consequences of the Armenian political crisis, to answer the following questions: why Armenia's 'Velvet Revolution' won without a shot fired and should it be a model for other post-Soviet countries to follow? By focusing on the case of Armenia, this paper argues that the importance of peaceful protests is much more effective than violence for overthrowing an authoritarian regime.