The English Civil War and Ukraine protests; not so different?

            Currently there are protests going on in Ukraine to get rid of their president Viktor Yanukovych. These protests have been going on since November, but recently they have gotten very violent and it was one of the deadliest weeks in recent Ukraine history. These protests reminded me of the English Civil War when the English people turned on their King Charles I. But how can a war that happened nearly 400 years ago relate to protests. Well both rulers made some decisions that angered the people, which led to the war/protests. Next, we I’ll go into the specific details of the protests and after that the English War.

            First, the protests in Ukraine started out peaceful, but soon turned for the worse. In November 2013 when Yanukovych and the government rejected an accord with the European Union in favor of their strong ties with Russia. Many of the people in Ukraine were outraged with this because there was long anticipation for the integration with the European Union. Overnight thousands of people went to the park in the capital city of Ukraine, Kiev, and have been there overnight. The protests became violent once the police who defended the president started to attack student protestors, attacked protest camps, and abductions and beatings of opposing activist. Soon the protests were no longer peaceful and instead of just protesting the rejection of joining the European Union the people now wanted their president out of power. On February 20 the fighting reached its worst when 66 people were reported dead and 600 people wounded. After days of intense fighting the parliament of Ukraine voted Yanukovych out of power. Now we will see how this relates to the Civil War.

http://mashable.com/2014/01/19/laws-kiev-protests/

            Second, the English Civil War has many connections to the protests. Like Yanukovych, Charles I made decisions that the people did not appreciate. One of them was cancelling Parliament meetings for 11 years giving Charles all of the power. This led to the Civil War. The Cavaliers who were the nobles who fought for the King are like the police force that fought for Yanukovych in the protests and the Roundheads who were the lesser nobles, merchants, and puritans who fought for the Parliament are like the protestors who wanted Yanukovych out of power. Although, the Civil War lasted seven years and the protests only lasted four months both were very bloody. And like the protests the president/king lost and was sent out of power. That is how the English Civil War relates to the protests in Ukraine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War

            Both protests and the English Civil War will be and were very important in the country’s government. England switched from monarchy to a incidental dictatorship back to monarchy. With president Yanukovych now out of power the possibilities of how their country will be governed are endless. The English Civil War was very important in English history and the protests in Ukraine will also be important in Ukraine’s history.

Sources

·      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25182823