Democracy Under Fire: Why Democratic Commitment Persists in Wartime Ukraine

Author: Vladyslav Hudz

Field of Study: Undeclared

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Easel: 110

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Ukraine challenges a core idea in political science: that war weakens democracy and pushes people toward stronger leaders. This project asks why that does not fully happen in Ukraine, where support for democracy has remained stable and, in some cases, increased during the war. The study focuses on three periods: after 2014, the period before the 2022 invasion, and the wartime period after February 2022. It uses scholarly literature and survey data on democratic attitudes to track how democratic values change over time. The findings show that democratic commitment in Ukraine is closely tied to national identity and resistance to Russia as an authoritarian threat, leading citizens to see democracy as something worth defending. At the same time, this support is uneven, as tolerance and minority protections can weaken under pressure. This project shows how a crisis can strengthen democratic resilience while still creating risks for democratic institutions over time.