In all three of the countries discussed, a semblance of social justice or at least social security is meant to compensate for the lack of personal freedom. In the GDR, there was no place for wealth or social inequality; yet despite relative equality, the political system failed. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has developed into a country of turbo-capitalism; it is among the countries with the greatest social inequality worldwide. The majority of the Russian population lives in poverty, while a minority lives in unimaginable wealth. And yet the authoritarian system under Vladimir Putin has proved stable so far. In Belarus, on the other hand, the stability of the system used to be linked to a certain economic security for citizens – but this tacit ‘social contract’ has been cancelled in recent years. Sustained mass protests followed the rigged elections in the summer of 2020, and President Lukashenka was only able to stay in office with Putin’s support. All three political systems show the connection between regime stability and socio-economic realities or perceptions. For Belarus and Russia, there is also the question of how the war against Ukraine and Western sanctions will affect the economy and the social situation.

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