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Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation
In 2004 and 2005, striking images from the Ukraine made their way around the world, among them boisterous, orange-clad crowds protesting electoral fraud and the hideously scarred face of a poisoned opposition candidate. Europe's second-largest country but still an immature state only recently independent, Ukraine has become a test case of post-communist democracy, as millions of people in other countries celebrated the protesters' eventual victory.Any attempt to truly understand current events in this vibrant and unsettled land, however, must begin with the Ukraines dramatic history. Ukraine's strategic location between Russia and the West, the country's pronounced cultural regionalism, and the ugly face of post-communist politics are all anchored in Ukraine's complex past.The first Western survey of Ukrainian history to include coverage of the Orange Revolution and its aftermath, this book narrates the deliberate construction of a modern Ukrainian nation, incorporating new Ukrainian scholarship and archival revelations of the post-communist period. Here then is a history of the land where the strategic interests of Russia and the West have long clashed, with reverberations that resonate to this day.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
43 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Serhy Yekelchyk
18 books25 followersDr. Serhy Yekelchyk received his BA from Kyiv University and an MA from the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. Following a research fellowship in Australia in 1993–94, he came to Canada in 1995 to pursue a Ph.D. in Russian and Eastern European History at the University of Alberta. His dissertation analyzed representations of the past in Stalinist culture, with special emphasis on Soviet Ukraine. After graduating, he taught for a year at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) before coming to Victoria in 2001.
Dr. Yekelchyk’s research interests evolved since then to include the social and political history of the Stalin period, as well as the formation of a modern Ukrainian nation from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. His Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation (Oxford University Press, 2007) was the first Western history of Ukraine to include the coverage of the Orange Revolution and was translated into five languages. His monograph on late-Stalinist political rituals appeared in 2014 and a book about the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict is coming out in 2015.
Dr. Yekelchyk is cross-appointed between the departments of Germanic and Slavic Studies and History and teaches a variety of courses on Russian history, Stalinism, Modern Ukraine, and Cold-War cinema. He supervises graduate and Honours students working on various aspects of Russian and Eastern European history and culture.
Dr. Yekelchyk’s research interests evolved since then to include the social and political history of the Stalin period, as well as the formation of a modern Ukrainian nation from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. His Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation (Oxford University Press, 2007) was the first Western history of Ukraine to include the coverage of the Orange Revolution and was translated into five languages. His monograph on late-Stalinist political rituals appeared in 2014 and a book about the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict is coming out in 2015.
Dr. Yekelchyk is cross-appointed between the departments of Germanic and Slavic Studies and History and teaches a variety of courses on Russian history, Stalinism, Modern Ukraine, and Cold-War cinema. He supervises graduate and Honours students working on various aspects of Russian and Eastern European history and culture.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 18, 2011
With Ukraine - Birth of a modern nation, Serhy Yekelchyk has written an up to date, balanced, complete and yet compact history of Ukraine for the English speaking reader. If you want an up to date introduction to Ukrainian history and society, this is a good choice. Unlike the other standard works on Ukrainian history in English, it includes the period leading up to and following the 2004 orange revelution. It also gives the full picture in a compact manner - a feature that many who needs an introduction to Ukrainian history will appreciate.
That said, I will compare Yekelchyk's book, with other available history books on Ukraine avaiable in English, to explain why I have given it 4 instead of 5 stars.
Except for the period leading up to and following the orange revelution, that is not included in The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Second edition (2002) by Andrew Wilson; Borderland: A Journey through the History of Ukraine (1997) by Anna Reid and Ukraine: A History by Orest Subtelny (2000), there is not much new in Yekelchyk's book. If you have allready read any of those books, I therefore recommend a book on the Orange revelution, rather than more or less repeating what you have allready read.
Andrew Wilson's approach of digging a bit deeper into curtain subjects, makes theese books more alive and interesting to read than Yekelchyk's approach that strictly sticks to the timeline. In addition to give more information about central subjects you want to learn more about, Wilson's appraoch makes it easier to skip a subject that is not necesary to you. Ukrainian religion and mytologies of early Ukrainian civilization are good examples of such subjects that is great to choose if you want to dig into or not. Anna Reid's anechdotical introductions to the different periods and areas of Ukraine, curtainly makes better litterature than Yekechyk not very colorful style. If a traditional history book is what you seek though, Wilson and Yevchuk will be more in accordance with what you seek than Reid. If you want more information than Wilson or Yevchuk provides - check out Subtelny's 800 pages Ukraine: a history.
One imperative question Yevchuk in my view fails to adress and answer, is why the economic perfomance of Ukraine has been so poor, compared to other former Soviet republics - both authorian and democratic (for instance Lithaunia and Belarus) and how it can be that you have to look to former Republics hit by war, collapse or both (for instance Georgia and Moldova) to find as poor economic measures as in Ukraine. Look to Verena Fritz' Statebuilding, in order to get a better understandning on how Ukrainian politics has created this mainly self-indulged pain.
As Wilson, Yevchuk includes a lot of notes, both in English and Ukrainian/Russian as well as a comprehensive suggested further reading mainly in English.
That said, I will compare Yekelchyk's book, with other available history books on Ukraine avaiable in English, to explain why I have given it 4 instead of 5 stars.
Except for the period leading up to and following the orange revelution, that is not included in The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Second edition (2002) by Andrew Wilson; Borderland: A Journey through the History of Ukraine (1997) by Anna Reid and Ukraine: A History by Orest Subtelny (2000), there is not much new in Yekelchyk's book. If you have allready read any of those books, I therefore recommend a book on the Orange revelution, rather than more or less repeating what you have allready read.
Andrew Wilson's approach of digging a bit deeper into curtain subjects, makes theese books more alive and interesting to read than Yekelchyk's approach that strictly sticks to the timeline. In addition to give more information about central subjects you want to learn more about, Wilson's appraoch makes it easier to skip a subject that is not necesary to you. Ukrainian religion and mytologies of early Ukrainian civilization are good examples of such subjects that is great to choose if you want to dig into or not. Anna Reid's anechdotical introductions to the different periods and areas of Ukraine, curtainly makes better litterature than Yekechyk not very colorful style. If a traditional history book is what you seek though, Wilson and Yevchuk will be more in accordance with what you seek than Reid. If you want more information than Wilson or Yevchuk provides - check out Subtelny's 800 pages Ukraine: a history.
One imperative question Yevchuk in my view fails to adress and answer, is why the economic perfomance of Ukraine has been so poor, compared to other former Soviet republics - both authorian and democratic (for instance Lithaunia and Belarus) and how it can be that you have to look to former Republics hit by war, collapse or both (for instance Georgia and Moldova) to find as poor economic measures as in Ukraine. Look to Verena Fritz' Statebuilding, in order to get a better understandning on how Ukrainian politics has created this mainly self-indulged pain.
As Wilson, Yevchuk includes a lot of notes, both in English and Ukrainian/Russian as well as a comprehensive suggested further reading mainly in English.
June 18, 2023
This book was a slog. However, it was redeemed by its concise chapter summaries.
Contemporary Ukraine is and always will be a multi ethnic state. How one engages civil society, culture and especially religion, depends upon which empire formerly controlled that area of Ukraine. The most prominent mean the Polish Lithuanian, Commonwealth, the Austro, Hungarian empire, and of course, the Russian empire and the successor the Soviet Union.
The religious divide is particularly pronounced with three major groups. The unit Ukrainian, Catholic Church, the autocephalous, Ukrainian, Orthodox Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church. Clergy of each of these I’ve been involved in politics.
The rise of nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, has also compounded the difficulty in keeping the nation of Ukraine together as there are other ethnic groups, most prominently, the Russians, who reside in the country.
Under communism, depending on the circumstance, Soviet leaders would either emphasize or crackdown on Ukrainian nationalism. In someways, there were more boundaries upon Russian interference in the Ukraine than under the Soviet Union then there were after its collapse.
Since the fall of communism, Russia has tried to control Ukrainian politics in order to preserve its great power status. Much of the contemporary conflict revolves around disputes between the elites who control industries and resources in Russia or Ukraine.
Although the story of this book ends in 2000s, it is clear that the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia will have to be solved politically, and not militarily. In any case, there must be protection of minorities and acceptance of different, religious and cultural points of view in order for there to be a lasting peace in the Ukraine.
Contemporary Ukraine is and always will be a multi ethnic state. How one engages civil society, culture and especially religion, depends upon which empire formerly controlled that area of Ukraine. The most prominent mean the Polish Lithuanian, Commonwealth, the Austro, Hungarian empire, and of course, the Russian empire and the successor the Soviet Union.
The religious divide is particularly pronounced with three major groups. The unit Ukrainian, Catholic Church, the autocephalous, Ukrainian, Orthodox Church, and the Russian Orthodox Church. Clergy of each of these I’ve been involved in politics.
The rise of nationalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, has also compounded the difficulty in keeping the nation of Ukraine together as there are other ethnic groups, most prominently, the Russians, who reside in the country.
Under communism, depending on the circumstance, Soviet leaders would either emphasize or crackdown on Ukrainian nationalism. In someways, there were more boundaries upon Russian interference in the Ukraine than under the Soviet Union then there were after its collapse.
Since the fall of communism, Russia has tried to control Ukrainian politics in order to preserve its great power status. Much of the contemporary conflict revolves around disputes between the elites who control industries and resources in Russia or Ukraine.
Although the story of this book ends in 2000s, it is clear that the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia will have to be solved politically, and not militarily. In any case, there must be protection of minorities and acceptance of different, religious and cultural points of view in order for there to be a lasting peace in the Ukraine.
September 11, 2016
Nors ir labai ilgokai užtrukau, o skaitymas protarpiais rodėsi tikra kančia. Nors ir skaityta dėl to, kad reikia, o ne todėl, kad norisi, ši knyga tikrai leidžia kiek kitaip pažvelgti į šią šalį. Tiesa, žvilgsnis sustos ties 2010 m. ir tai verčia pasijausti kaip svečiais iš ateities, kai mes jau žinome, kokie didžiuliai išbandymai laukia Ukrainos netolimoje ateityje. Tačiau, nepaisant visko, džiaugiuosi, kad visas šias paskutines tris savaites praleidau su būtent šia knyga, kadangi dabar žinau, kuom ir kaip gyveno ukrainiečiai. Tikiuosi, kad juos pažįstu šiek tiek geriau nei prieš tai.
September 5, 2023
Good for what it is, but incredibly dated given how much has happened in the past decade. Needs a new edition.
November 27, 2024
Good read, do recommend if you are interested in that oooor want to get an over view (independence).
March 21, 2025
A good introduction to Ukrainian history.
December 18, 2016
Хорошая книга по истории Украины в 20 веке.
November 28, 2012
With the fall of the Soviet Union, historians have been able to study the Soviet Experience more freely in its territories and satellite states. As countries became independent, they found they needed to redefine their history. Serhy Yekelchyc’s “Ukraine: A Modern History” argues that Ukraine was born not only from its complex history that stretches back to 40,000 B.C., but also from the policies of the Soviet Union.
One of the easiest ways to understand the complexity of Ukrainian history comes from the origin of the word “Ukraine”. Ukraine comes from the word “borderlands”. Yekelchyck details how ancient Ukrainian history is that of a “cultural borderland” between religions, empires and ethnicities. Yekelchyck then approaches the different problems with trying to define Ukrainian history. Although the modern Ukrainian state can arguably be viewed as a descendent of the medieval rulers, the Kyivan Rus state, the Cossacks of the 1600’s and the 1918-1920 Ukrainian People’s Republic, these ruling periods were far too brief. As Yekelchyck also explains in his book, Russians and Ukrainians shared histories concerning Kyivan Rus and the Cossacks, a shared history that the Russian and later Soviet state often used to reinforce the notion of Ukraine as “Little Russia.”.
As he goes further into the book, Yekelchyck describes how this complex and murky historical background gains importance under the Soviet Union. Yekelchyck describes how policies were created to promote nationalism among new Soviet States, as well as defining the borders of those which are still used today. However, as the Communist Era progressed, the policies began to reverse and the Ukrainian Nationalists often became persecuted and blamed for failed policies of the Communist Government. The Soviet Union continues to paint a picture of the Ukrainians and the Russians having a shared history and reinforcing the idea of Ukraine being a “Little Russia”. The Ukrainians, however, embraced this sense of nationalism, and under a tolerance of freedom of artistic expression, many writers, artists and film-makers of Ukrainian ethnicity became celebrated figures. Yekelchyck points out many of the “unfulfilled promises” of the Soviet Era, ranging in the economic policies of the government, but it was “Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation” depicts a rich history and is a useful resource for understanding the complex historical background in the relationship between Ukraine and Russia, and how that relationship formed Ukraine as it is today.
One of the easiest ways to understand the complexity of Ukrainian history comes from the origin of the word “Ukraine”. Ukraine comes from the word “borderlands”. Yekelchyck details how ancient Ukrainian history is that of a “cultural borderland” between religions, empires and ethnicities. Yekelchyck then approaches the different problems with trying to define Ukrainian history. Although the modern Ukrainian state can arguably be viewed as a descendent of the medieval rulers, the Kyivan Rus state, the Cossacks of the 1600’s and the 1918-1920 Ukrainian People’s Republic, these ruling periods were far too brief. As Yekelchyck also explains in his book, Russians and Ukrainians shared histories concerning Kyivan Rus and the Cossacks, a shared history that the Russian and later Soviet state often used to reinforce the notion of Ukraine as “Little Russia.”.
As he goes further into the book, Yekelchyck describes how this complex and murky historical background gains importance under the Soviet Union. Yekelchyck describes how policies were created to promote nationalism among new Soviet States, as well as defining the borders of those which are still used today. However, as the Communist Era progressed, the policies began to reverse and the Ukrainian Nationalists often became persecuted and blamed for failed policies of the Communist Government. The Soviet Union continues to paint a picture of the Ukrainians and the Russians having a shared history and reinforcing the idea of Ukraine being a “Little Russia”. The Ukrainians, however, embraced this sense of nationalism, and under a tolerance of freedom of artistic expression, many writers, artists and film-makers of Ukrainian ethnicity became celebrated figures. Yekelchyck points out many of the “unfulfilled promises” of the Soviet Era, ranging in the economic policies of the government, but it was “Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation” depicts a rich history and is a useful resource for understanding the complex historical background in the relationship between Ukraine and Russia, and how that relationship formed Ukraine as it is today.
August 30, 2014
Good and quick history of Ukraine that covers all major events and players up to the Orange revolution of 2004.
November 13, 2015
Here is my review: http://avidreader123.blogspot.com/201...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews