The dramatic events in Ukraine attracted attention from millions of people around the world. In seeking to prevent the restoration of the USSR, the US and the EU pushed through the association of Ukraine with the EU. Then Ukrainian president balked at signing an association agreement that would end Ukraine's independence and ruin the Ukrainian economy. A bloody coup was staged to remove him from power. This coup started the reign of terror that led regions of Ukraine to split from Kiev. This book explores the historical, political, economic, and cultural context of this catastrophe.