The Zelensky Effect

by Olga Onuch, Henry E. Hale

With Russian shells raining on Kyiv and tanks closing in, American forces prepared to evacuate Ukraine’s leader. Just three years earlier, his apparent main qualification had been playing a president on TV. But Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly retorted, ‘I need ammunition, not a ride.’ Ukrainian forces won the battle for Kyiv, ensuring their country’s independence even as a longer war began for the southeast.

You cannot understand the historic events of 2022 without understanding Zelensky. But the Zelensky effect is less about the man himself than about the civic nation he embodies: what makes Zelensky most extraordinary in war is his very ordinariness as a Ukrainian.

The Zelensky Effect explains this paradox, exploring Ukraine’s national history to show how its now-iconic president reflects the hopes and frustrations of the country’s first ‘independence generation’. Interweaving social and political background with compelling episodes from Zelensky’s life and career, this is the story of Ukraine told through the journey of one man who has come to symbolise his country.

Genres: Ukraine, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Politics, Political Science

424 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2023

Reviews

[Darya Silman · Rating 4 out of 5]

#sociology #history #politics #biography #Ukraine

In their book The Zelensky Effect, Olga Onuch and Henry E. Hale explore the Independence generation, meaning Ukrainians (regardless of their mother tongue) born between 1975 and 1985. The unique upbringing - communism, separation from the USSR, subsequent economic collapse and, after that, growing up in independent Ukraine - shaped their worldview. Authors posit Volodymyr Zelensky as the epitome of the Independence Generation, arguing that he is a Ukrainian everyperson (sic). At the same time, he goes beyond any other Ukrainian: he embraced, embodied, and most importantly of all affirmed the Ukrainianness of the country's vast majority while never denying his Russian/Jewish roots.

Using massive sociological data collected over three decades, Olga Onuch and Henry E. Hale trace Ukraine's cultural, historical, and economic perturbations from gaining independence in 1991 until July 2022. They show a gradual growth in understanding of civic duty, resulting in an almost ubiquitous fight against the Russian invasion that started in February 2022.

While clearly defining the Independence generation, authors have never specified what the Zelensky effect, mentioned in the title, represents. One might guess the authors imply the bilateral influence, especially in the time of crisis, of Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian population that brought him to the presidency.

[Indra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, well researched, well argued and fair. What I like the most is that the authors put and tell Zelensky's story into context of a larger story, that of Ukraine, the two stories are intertwined, interconnected. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to learn about and understand both Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky.

[Mark Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fascinating book. Puts the war in the context of both recent Ukrainian history and of social science research on the country. I feel I understand a lot more for having read it.

It's also a good model for communicating academic research to a broader audience. I have some gripes on that front: the writing can be a little clunky and repetitive, and the charts and graphs at the back would have been more useful if presented at the relevant point in the main text. That said if you've been following the news, then you can very likely follow this book easily enough. It uses and explains a wide range of different research methodologies but in a way that bolsters rather than distracting from the narrative

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the following pages, we explain Ukraine’s resistance as a story of both nation and leader. We emphasize what can happen when a president works creatively and consistently to shore up what social scientists call “civic national identity,” an inclusive version of who belongs to the nation, and links it to democratic, pro-European, and liberal values.

Published in late 2022, I heard a podcast interview with Olga Onuch recently which prompted me to take a look at this account of Zelensky's personal, professional, and political life. This book is mainly an analysis of how Zelensky and the so-called Independence Generation to which he belongs have affected Ukrainian society and politics. I thought that the authors also clearly show how this generation enabled Zelensky's election and that he seems to be clearly channeling the thoughts and priorities of the median Ukrainian voter. I was interested to learn more about the relationship between the Servant of the People television series and people's attitudes towards Zelensky, which is given appropriate attention and explanation in this account. I thought it was one of the better books that I've read in the last year about Zelensky and the evolution of his governing style.

The members of the Independence Generation are now in power, and they are powerful.

Ukraine is one of Europe’s largest countries, and one whose global importance in the supply of grain and sunflower oil (for example) has only become fully appreciated since it has been under attack. It, as with other countries previously in Russia’s shadow, therefore needs to be given much more attention in its own right. Understanding Ukraine, its history, culture, and society, is vital to our understanding of contemporary Europe and beyond.

[Note: The text ends at the 56% point (kindle ebook), followed by an appendix with dozens of graphs and analyses, as well as an extensive bibliography of source material, and a large index. The references shown greatly increase their credibility and the validity of their conclusions.]

[Claire Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was useful for understanding more about Ukraine today and for cutting through some of the contradictory messaging in the media with extensive data to back up their claims.
At times I thought it was perhaps a little sympathetic towards Zelensky, occasionally pointing out criticisms but then not really exploring them or explaining what they mean in practice. Some of the segues were also a bit clumsy.
I think it is especially interesting if you've seen the show Servant of the People (which I have) because it uses that show as a way to explore the motivations and concerns of Zelensky's generation of Ukrainians.

[Pavlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

At least this was written by authors who know what they're talking about, for a change; these two have been studying Ukraine for decades

(Yes, I'm looking at... fine, let's not mention names... authors who very DON'T know what they're talking about)

True, this book is somewhat enamored of its protagonist, but still mostly quite clear about his shortcomings. Also, the name notwithstanding, the authors argue that Zelensky and what they call "the Zelensky Effect" is a product of Ukraine and its society's development since Independence, not vice versa

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended reading not just for people who want to understand modern Ukraine, but also for those fascinated with democracy and nation-building. Onuch and Hale support conclusions with numerical data and are not afraid to call out biases and preconceived notions of related parties.

[s]

should i watch servant of the people

[Logan Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the authors (Hale) came and spoke to our class but I was on zoom so I was kind of checked out. Much better than the Putin or Navalny books

[Grace Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely informative and well-researched. While this is an academic text, it remains accessible and engaging. I may be biased since the author is my lecturer, but the book provides great insight into this crisis.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for those who have not followed the political situation or are unfamiliar with Ukrainian post-Soviet politics. For an academic book, the language is approachable for any reader - and those who want to dive into the quant details and polling data will also be richly rewarded with the very detailed appendix of charts and other data. Key themes in Ukrainian history, issues of corruption and societal mobilization, and regional AND generational differences are all explored. With the analysis of the series Servant of the People through the prism of reality imitating art, you will also gain a deeper understanding of Zelensky, the issues he raised via comedy, and their very real relevance to Ukrainian everyday life. Highly recommended.

[Lessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated the heavy emphasis on clear statistics and research, but it seems as though they tried to make it too much about Zelenskyy when that wasn't truly their focus. It feels a bit like Zelenskyy was mostly just a conviently famous face/name, and I would have been happy enough to read about the amazing Ukrainian people and their national civic identity.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a highly researched book, authors Olga Onuch and Henry E. Hale posit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as both a representative and an extraordinary member of the “Independence Generation,” that cohort of 35 to 47-year-old Ukrainians who came of age in a post-Soviet country, with all the expectations and disappointments that implies. They trace Ukraine’s trajectory as an “independent” country post-1985–independent yet constantly bedeviled by its superpower neighbor—in parallel with Zelensky’s career. Ukraine’s post-Soviet history has been shaped by corruption, oligarchs, and a political culture they term “patronalism”: “the importance of networks of actual personal acquaintance…networks that tend to have a hierarchical character in that people at the top are well positioned to mobilize people below them for favors, though people at lower levels also typically turn to their ‘patrons’ for help as well” (18). Patronalism can be a Petri dish for corruption, but it can also be “highly effective way of mobilizing people to get things done” (20). Zelensky emerged out of this period of “Orange chaos,” when political networks organized to make change, with a strong orientation toward Europe, pluralism, and democracy based in commitment to civic society rather than the exclusive ethno-linguistic loyalty promoted by Putin. They demonstrate how Zelensky’s career as a writer and actor of comedy—not to mention as a media businessman—actually honed his ability to respond to the populace, and prepared him to operationalize the values of the Independence Generation. If you want to understand Zelensky and Ukraine’s political culture, this book is the place to start; it left me with a real sense of optimism about the country’s postwar future, if we stay committed to helping them win.

[Rohan Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that has emerged at the tail-end of 2022, from UK & US based academics focusing on giving context and data to how Zelensky emerged in Ukraine, how he rose to power and what has been his effect during the invasion.

It starts with the notion that Zelensky grew out of an Independence Generation in Ukraine, with a strong commitment to civic duty, civic unity, liberalism and Europe. It then shows how his early presidency crystalises this approach and how this then positions him strategically as the right leader for dealing with the invasion.

There is great background on his upbringing in the Eastern, significantly Russian-populated areas of Ukraine. It also shows his formation within the Kvartal 95 performance and media production group. As well as Zelensky's backstory there is good info on Ukrainian independence, the Orange Revolution, the Maidan movements and Poroshenko's significant realigning of Ukrainian polity westward looking.

It is by no means an exhaustive account of its subject and frequently gets bogged down in the reams of polling and assessment data that inform the writer's reading of Zelensky. But this feels all the more important an intervention at a time when 'misinformation wars' are de rigueur.

[Corry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heel interessant om te lezen hoe Oekraïne na zijn onafhankelijkheid worstelde met nationbuilding. De oligarchen, de informele netwerken en de patronage, ontstaan uit de chaos na de onafhankelijkheid, bleven hardnekkig overeind.
Het boek heeft lezenswaardige statistieken die de ontwikkeling van de Oekraïense identiteit moeten duiden.
Dit onderdeel is goeie sociologie, mee gebaseerd op wetenschappelijk onderzoek.

Daarna gaat het de mist in.
Het is verwonderlijk maar dat de auteurs de persoon Zelenski schetsten als de verpersoonlijking van Vasyl Holoborodko, het hoofdpersonage uit de succesreeks ‚Dienaar van het Volk‘. Hij zette als acteur de president neer die hij zou worden…(??)
En het is ronduit ergerlijk dat ze sommige algemeen bekende feiten, die wijzen op Zelenski’s beleidsfouten, wegfilteren om hem als een fantastische gast neer te zetten, zoals zijn foute inschatting van de Russen die hij dacht te kunnen paaien of zoals de gevangenenruil waarin hij een internationaal gezochte verdachte van het neerhalen van MH-17 terug aan de Russen geeft.

[Carrie Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Russia's "little green men" invaded Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014, Ukraine pretty much let them. But when they invaded again in '22, everyone in Ukraine rose up and fought back. What happened in those 8 years? And how did Zelensky, a comic actor, become an iconic leader of his country's war effort? What were the historical, sociological, and economic events that changed ordinary Ukrainians and their new president? This book digs into this phenomenon. Bonuses: It is replete with data and sociological analysis, and also with anecdote and historical description. It also recommends pop and rap songs, available on Spotify, to set the mood of the chapter. Flaws: it is a bit of a hagiography, but if you're a "Ze" fan you won't mind. It is also inadequately proofread, with a few instances of a word spelled multiple ways on a single page, and some Figures being difficult to decipher. Summary: if your heart aches for the Ukrainians, this is a heartening book to read.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains how Zelensky managed to rise to the Presidency of the Ukraine via TV comedy and how he managed to unite the people of the Ukraine to stand up to the Russian invasion.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slava Ukraini!

[Aidan Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part biography, part political history, The Zelensky Effect charts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s rise and subsequent role in the defence of Ukraine. While drawing on empirical data and social scientific research, frequent reference to Ukrainian music, poetry and Zelensky’s own comic work imbues the narrative with a unique texture.

Onuch and Hale are clearly enamoured with their protagonist and the book reads like an encomium. Although such thorough extolment does not stop the authors pointing out Zelensky’s shortcomings, there is one glaring exception: Zelensky’s shifty connections with oligarch, Ihor Kolomoysky, and his lawyer, Andriy Bohdan. What roles did these individuals actually play in Zelensky’s campaign for the presidency? This is important because the true extent of Zelenskyy’s democratic convictions will prove vital during Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction – a time, in the author’s admittance (Chapter 8), that will present an opportunity for democratic backsliding.

Notably, the term ‘Zelensky Effect’ is never defined. This is perhaps unsurprising given that the book never makes the case – à la Archie Brown – that Zelensky’s is an individual upon which certain events, such the avoidance of Ukrainian capitulation, were utterly contingent. In reality, Zelensky was a product, and subsequently the perfect symbol, of a growing Ukrainian civic nationalism with origins much older than the president. The point is made that Zelensky was of the right age, background and skill set to harness the imagination of the nation, but ultimately is a product of what the book really posits as the defining factor in the defence of Ukraine: a strong civic national identity. Thus, the concept supposedly at the center of the book, from which it takes its name, is strangely off the mark.

[Юлія Вишницька · Rating 2 out of 5]

Читала в українськомовному перекладі (видавництво "Човен").
Попри нібито об'єктивність дослідження (різноманітні соцопитування тощо), у кожному реченні - возвеличення Зеленського. Замовчування фактів, не вигідних авторам дослідження, притягнуті за вуха й маніпулятивні висновки, наявність величезної кількості дуже сумнівних джерел, на які спираються автори, тощо - книга справляє негативне враження й сприймається як суцільно компліментарна до Зеленського.
Чого вартий лише один пасаж зі сторінки 249 (і подібну "напівправду"/брехню розпорошено по всій книжці): "Надзвичайно важливим було й пришвидшення військових реформ, що їх розпочав попередник Зеленського. Ці реформи не лише зміцнили армію, а й дали їй змогу краще підготуватись до повномасштабного вторгнення Росії, яке настало за кілька місяців".
Видавництву "Човен", яке безмежно поважаю, вдячна за сміливість надрукувати в українському перекладі таку слабку книжку.

[Jacquelin Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative but not exactly a page turner