Abstract

The article analyzes basic reasons of authoritarian reverse waves, defines potential factors and conditions of authoritarian reverse wave after the third wave of democratization, such as: reduction of legitimacy of democratic regimes, general economic crisis, appearance of «snowballing» effect after authoritarian transition of any democratic or democratizing state, transition of recently democratized countries to dictatorship, successful expansion by undemocratic state against democracies, appearance of different forms of authoritarianism that respond the needs of the moment. The paper also determines fundamental reasons of authoritarian reverse waves in Central and Eastern European countries, Baltic states and analyzes general trends of authoritarianism in particular countries of the mentioned areas. The reason for strengthening of authoritarian tendencies of political system in new independent states the author sees, above all, in improvement of mechanism of «ruling circles’ access» to the national heritage is defined, however, the similarity of general trends in political development of post­Soviet republics does not mean that the establishment of superstructural institutions generally occurs under one scenario and significant differences in national political processes primarily with differences in pace and content of market transformation in new independent states are associated.