Nothing to Gain But Your Chains: Popular Support for Democracy and Authoritarianism in the Former Soviet Union

Among countries that have undergone regime transition, why is support for authoritarianism highest in the most democratic post-transition states, while support for democracy is higher in authoritarian states? I argue that regime preferences are built into the national identities of certain nations, identities that reflect the historical legacy of foreign occupation in the post-Soviet space. When authoritarian countries occupy populations with well-established national identities, the occupied nations can come to define themselves as a democratic "us" in opposition to an authoritarian "them." In contrast to earlier literature on political culture, my work suggests that these culturally conditioned regime preferences are strong but not static, particularly in the wake of a major regime transition. I argue that economic collapse in the post-transition period can upend these preferences. When democratization occurs simultaneously with economic collapse, citizens can become much more critical of democracy. Once set, these beliefs about democracy and authoritarianism became remarkably durable and resistant to change. Thus, the scale of economic collapse that one experiences leaves a lasting mark on one's beliefs about democracy and author-itarianism. I argue that when these post-transition critics of democracy gain additional experience with democratic rule, they become increasingly critical of democracy. The paradoxical outcome is that support for authoritarianism is highest in the most democratic post-transition states, while support for democracy is higher in authoritarian states.