The History of Ukraine

Ukraine’s struggle for a national identity plagued this former Soviet Union state long before the Cold War shook the world. Its central location between Eastern Europe and Western Asia invited many different cultures to settle the land, ultimately populating a powerful early medieval society known as Kievan Rus. However, readers will learn how Kievan Rus’s Golden Age quickly crumbled with decades of Mongol invasions, Polish-Lithuanian occupation, and Russian empirical ruling. Explore how Ukraine flirted with independence in the early 20th century, only to be quickly taken over by harsh Soviet rule in 1922. Despite its independence from the USSR in 1991, devastating consequences of the socialist rule have allowed the world to witness Ukraine’s ceaseless efforts to attain a stable government, struggling through the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko, rigged elections, and the Orange Revolution. Kubicek’s survey is comprehensive and concise-a perfect resource for high school students and undergrads, as well as general readers looking to further their knowledge of this up-and-coming nation.

A timeline of key events, biographical sketches of major figures in Ukrainian history, and a bibliographical essay including print and nonprint sources supplement the work.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Ukraine

Chapter 2: Kievan Rus: The Foundation of Ukrainian Culture

Chapter 3: The Polish-Lithuanian Period and Rise of the Cossacks

Chapter 4: Ukraine Under the Russian Empire

Chapter 5: Western Ukraine Under the Hapsburg Empire

Chapter 6: Revolution and the Establishment of Soviet Authority

Chapter 7: Ukraine Under Soviet Rule

Chapter 8: The Drive for Ukrainian Independence

Chapter 9: Post-Soviet Ukraine, 1991-2004

Chapter 10: The Orange Revolution and Beyond.