In the last few decades, as the world marked the bicentenary of the French Revolution of 1789 and the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917, it also went through at least three waves of modern revolutions: the “velvet” revolutions of 1989 in Eastern Europe, the “colour” revolutions of the early 2000s in the former Soviet bloc countries, and the “Arab Spring” revolutions of the early 2010s. What makes contemporary revolution a revolution and what impact does it have on the society that experiences it? These are the key questions asked in the book that focuses on the part of the world that produced more revolutions (and counterrevolutions) in the last few decades than any of its close or distant neighbours – Ukraine. Some of the best experts on contemporary Ukraine from the region and beyond piece together the story of the three revolutions and examine the events that produced key turning points in the recent Ukrainian and East European history: the student Revolution on the Granite of 1990, the Maidan Protests of 2004, and the Revolution of Dignity of 2013-2014. This is an essential read for anyone who wants to understand Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the current crisis in East-West relations, and last, but not least, the phenomenon of the modern revolution.

Dr. Paweł Kowal served as a Research Fellow at the Chair of European History and Civilization at the College of Europe in Natolin, where he co-led, together with Professor Georges Mink, the “Three Ukrainian Revolutions” project. He is also a Professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In the past, he served as a Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.

Dr. Iwona Reichardt is Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the journal New Eastern Europe. She studied political science at the Jagiellonian University of Kraków. Her previous experience included work with the Foreign Policy magazine in Washington, DC, and policy analyses for the World Bank.

Kateryna Pryshchepa was a project officer at the College of Europe in Natolin and a team member of the 3R project focused on social and political mobilisation in Ukraine. She is also a Ukrainian journalist and a frequent contributor to New Eastern Europe.