ABSTRACT
Contrary to popular belief, Dudayev never received the unanimous support of the Chechen population as the leader of an independent republic. His opponents rallied behind him in the face of impending Russian military intervention in both 1991 and 1994, but this support was motivated merely by a determination to defend the republic against an external threat, not by any sentiments of loyalty to the Dudayev regime and its ambitions. The opposition desired independence, although not necessarily with Dudayev as their leader nor on his terms. Escalating tension within the republic threatened to destabilise the fragile political equilibrium and Dudayev exploited the strained atmosphere to augment his own authority. Manifold opposition groups made futile attempts to curb the authoritarian excesses of the Chechen president and temper his extreme stance vis-à-vis the federal government, efforts that merely generated further hostilities and provided Dudayev with additional justification to reinforce his brutal regime. Whilst the various opposition movements were united by their desire to move along the path of independence, they held conflicting views about the specific nature of Chechen sovereignty and the formulation of new state structures.
