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. Chapters include: BLChapter 1: Introduction to Ukraine BLChapter 2: Kievan Rus: The Foundation of Ukrainian Culture BLChapter 3: The Polish-Lithuanian Period and Rise of the Cossacks BLChapter 4: Ukraine Under the Russian Empire BLChapter 5: Western Ukraine Under the Hapsburg Empire BLChapter 6: Revolution and the Establishment of Soviet Authority BLChapter 7: Ukraine Under Soviet Rule BLChapter 8: The Drive for Ukrainian Independence BLChapter 9: Post-Soviet Ukraine, 1991-2004 BLChapter 10: The Orange Revolution and Beyond. 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.
