The unrest in Ukraine is mostly between the pro-European west and pro-Russian east. However, more than just politics are involved. Ukrainians, especially those in the west which was once part of Poland, see how Poland's economy helped better the public while Ukraine's close orbit to Russian kleptocracy has kept it overall poor. Economist Branko Milanovic has a great chart showing how a true free market performs against crony capitalism.
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| Poland and Ukraine were both backwaters of the Russian Empire in 1914. Now one is in the European Union and the other one is a year or two away from being the next Belarus. |
Unrest happens when people realize just how much they can/should be better off.
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