Ukraine

Ukraine PDF Author: Taras Kuzio
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
This book charts the course of events that led up to the Ukrainian vote for independence and presidential elections in December 1991 by drawing upon information from both official and unofficial sources, some material never previously published in English. The book also examines the growth of Ukrainian nationalism in a theoretical context. As Soviet studies are reformulated, this book is the first English-language survey to meet the growing demand for studies of one of the old Union's most important constiuent parts.

Ukraine

Ukraine PDF Author: Taras Kuzio
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Get Book

Book Description
This book charts the course of events that led up to the Ukrainian vote for independence and presidential elections in December 1991 by drawing upon information from both official and unofficial sources, some material never previously published in English. The book also examines the growth of Ukrainian nationalism in a theoretical context. As Soviet studies are reformulated, this book is the first English-language survey to meet the growing demand for studies of one of the old Union's most important constiuent parts.

Ukraine: Perestroika to Independence

Ukraine: Perestroika to Independence PDF Author: T. Kuzio
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 033398434X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
The Ukrainian vote for independence in December 1991 effectively ended the existence of the Soviet Union, and propelled one of Europe's submerged nations on to the world stage. The main theme of the book is the transition in Ukraine from the policies of 'Perestroika' and 'Glasnost' to the ultimate break with Moscow.

Ukraine

Ukraine PDF Author: Taras Kuzio
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 9780312216740
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
The Ukrainian vote for independence in December 1991 effectively ended the existence of the Soviet Union, with the Ukraine being the second largest republic to have emerged from the ruins of the USSR. This country the same size as France in land and population will play an increasingly important role in regional and world affairs as a new military and potential economic power. The main focus of this book is the transition in Ukraine from the policies of perestroika and glasnost, first introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev, to the ultimate break with Moscow which brought an end to both the Soviet Union and Gorbachev's own career. This second edition is expanded and updated to include greater detail of developments within Ukraine and within a broader Soviet context.

The Last Empire

The Last Empire PDF Author: Serhii Plokhy
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465097928
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 544

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Book Description
On Christmas Day, 1991, President George H. W. Bush addressed the nation to declare an American victory in the Cold War: earlier that day Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned as the first and last Soviet president. The enshrining of that narrative, one in which the end of the Cold War was linked to the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the triumph of democratic values over communism, took center stage in American public discourse immediately after Bush's speech and has persisted for decades -- with disastrous consequences for American standing in the world. As prize-winning historian Serhii Plokhy reveals in The Last Empire, the collapse of the Soviet Union was anything but the handiwork of the United States. On the contrary, American leaders dreaded the possibility that the Soviet Union -- weakened by infighting and economic turmoil -- might suddenly crumble, throwing all of Eurasia into chaos. Bush was firmly committed to supporting his ally and personal friend Gorbachev, and remained wary of nationalist or radical leaders such as recently elected Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Fearing what might happen to the large Soviet nuclear arsenal in the event of the union's collapse, Bush stood by Gorbachev as he resisted the growing independence movements in Ukraine, Moldova, and the Caucasus. Plokhy's detailed, authoritative account shows that it was only after the movement for independence of the republics had gained undeniable momentum on the eve of the Ukrainian vote for independence that fall that Bush finally abandoned Gorbachev to his fate. Drawing on recently declassified documents and original interviews with key participants, Plokhy presents a bold new interpretation of the Soviet Union's final months and argues that the key to the Soviet collapse was the inability of the two largest Soviet republics, Russia and Ukraine, to agree on the continuing existence of a unified state. By attributing the Soviet collapse to the impact of American actions, US policy makers overrated their own capacities in toppling and rebuilding foreign regimes. Not only was the key American role in the demise of the Soviet Union a myth, but this misplaced belief has guided -- and haunted -- American foreign policy ever since.

How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy

How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy PDF Author: Anders Åslund
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0881325066
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 345

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Book Description
One of Europe's old nations steeped in history, Ukraine is today an undisputed independent state. It is a democracy and has transformed into a market economy with predominant private ownership. Ukraine's postcommunist transition has been one of the most protracted and socially costly, but it has taken the country to a desirable destination. Åslund's vivid account of Ukraine's journey begins with a brief background, where he discusses the implications of Ukraine's history, the awakening of society because of Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms, the early democratization, and the impact of the ill-fated Soviet economic reforms. He then turns to the reign of President Leonid Kravchuk from 1991 to 1994, the only salient achievement of which was nation-building, while the economy collapsed in the midst of hyperinflation. The first two years of Leonid Kuchma's presidency, from 1994 to 1996, were characterized by substantial achievements, notably financial stabilization and mass privatization. The period 1996–99 was a miserable period of policy stagnation, rent seeking, and continued economic decline. In 2000 hope returned to Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko became prime minister and launched vigorous reforms to cleanse the economy from corruption, and economic growth returned. The ensuing period, 2001–04, amounted to a competitive oligarchy. It was quite pluralist, although repression increased. Economic growth was high. The year 2004 witnessed the most joyful period in Ukraine, the Orange Revolution, which represented Ukraine's democratic breakthrough, with Yushchenko as its hero. The postrevolution period, however, has been characterized by great domestic political instability; a renewed, explicit Russian threat to Ukraine's sovereignty; and a severe financial crisis. The answers to these challenges lie in how soon the European Union fully recognizes Ukraine's long-expressed identity as a European state, how swiftly Ukraine improves its malfunctioning constitutional order, and how promptly it addresses corruption.

The Moulding of Ukraine

The Moulding of Ukraine PDF Author: Kataryna Wolczuk
Publisher: Central European University Press
ISBN: 9789639241251
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a number of new states were created that had little or no claim to any previous existence. Ukraine is one of the countries that faced not only political, social and economic transformation, but also state formation and the redefinition of national identity. This book uses Ukraine as a case study in trying to trace the key moments of decision making in the course of creating a new state while shedding the legacies of "Soviet-type" statehood. The Moulding of Ukraine offers a systematic examination of competing ideological visions of statehood and discusses them against the backdrop of historical traditions in Ukraine. This well-documented and lucidly written book is the only coherent account available in English of the process of constitutional reform, offering an insight into post-Soviet Ukrainian politics. A useful addition to university course reading lists in Ukrainian studies, post-Soviet studies, post-communist democratization, comparative constitutionalism, state-building and institutional design.

Heroes and Villains

Heroes and Villains PDF Author: David R. Marples
Publisher: Central European University Press
ISBN: 9789637326981
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
Certain to engender debate in the media, especially in Ukraine itself, as well as the academic community. Using a wide selection of newspapers, journals, monographs, and school textbooks from different regions of the country, the book examines the sensitive issue of the changing perspectives ? often shifting 180 degrees ? on several events discussed in the new narratives of the Stalin years published in the Ukraine since the late Gorbachev period until 2005. These events were pivotal to Ukrainian history in the 20th century, including the Famine of 1932?33 and Ukrainian insurgency during the war years. This latter period is particularly disputed, and analyzed with regard to the roles of the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) and the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) during and after the war. Were these organizations "freedom fighters" or "collaborators"? To what extent are they the architects of the modern independent state? "This excellent book fills a longstanding void in literature on the politics of memory in Eastern Europe. Professor Marples has produced an innovative and courageous study of how postcommunist Ukraine is rewriting its Stalinist and wartime past by gradually but inconsistently substituting Soviet models with nationalist interpretations. Grounded in an attentive reading of Ukrainian scholarship and journalism from the last two decades, this book offers a balanced take on such sensitive issues as the Great Famine of 1932-33 and the role of the Ukrainian nationalist insurgents during World War II. Instead of taking sides in the passionate debates on these subjects, Marples analyzes the debates themselves as discursive sites where a new national history is being forged. Clearly written and well argued, this study will make a major impact both within and beyond academia." - Serhy Yekelchyk, University of Victoria

My Ukraine

My Ukraine PDF Author: Chrystia Freeland
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 0815727569
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 26

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Book Description
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, former Soviet republic Ukraine has struggled against its “giant neighbor to the north”—Russia— to maintain its sovereignty. In early 2014 tensions turned to conflict as Vladimir Putin, determined to keep Ukraine from forging stronger ties with the West, seized Crimea and fomented conflict in eastern Ukraine. In the latest Brookings essay, Chrystia Freeland, a former Ukrainian-based reporter with strong family ties to the country, offers a personal reflection on the conflict and the sentiment of the Ukrainian people. She highlights the fact that despite historic, cultural, and linguistic ties between the two countries, Ukrainians stand defiant in their desire for independence.

The Ukrainian Resurgence

The Ukrainian Resurgence PDF Author: Bohdan Nahaylo
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 652

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Book Description
Ukraine's Re-emergence from Political Oblivion and its achievement of independence were major historical events which changed the map of Europe and altered international relations in general. Yet, because it was politically submerged for so long, Ukraine's history quest for independence, and current situation are still little known. This major study, written by a leading specialist, aims to fill this gap and makes an important contribution to the scholarly and journalistic literature on the former Soviet Union and the new states of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Ukrainian Resurgence provides a concise recent political history of a significant new European state and offers new insight into how the Soviet Union collapsed. Drawing on an extensive range of sources, including interviews with key political and cultural figures, Bohdan Nahaylo traces developments in Soviet-ruled Ukraine from the beginning of the Gorbachev era and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, through the turbulent years of glasnost, perestroika, and the emergence of the mass national democratic movement, Rukh, to Ukraine's rejection of the idea of a revamped Soviet Union. He then explores how Ukraine, in the face of economic crisis, internal divisions, and friction with Russia, consolidated independence and democracy. The Ukrainian Resurgence is essential reading for students, scholars, and policy makers who seek a better understanding of the nature of the former Soviet Union and the reasons for its collapse, as well as a clearer sense of the political landscape which has emerged after the USSR's dissolution. Above all, the book provides a wonderful introduction and guide to Ukraine's recent past and itspresent dilemmas.

Human Rights, Perestroika, and the End of the Cold War

Human Rights, Perestroika, and the End of the Cold War PDF Author: A. L. Adamishin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
Br> Human Rights, Perestroika, and the End of the Cold War by Adamishin, Anatoly L.; Schifter, Richard Terms of use A diplomatic memoir unlike any other, this volume takes the reader behind the scenes on both sides of the Cold War as two men form an unlikely partnership to help transform Soviet-American relations. Copyright ® 2011 R.R. Bowker LLC. All Rights Reserved.