Ukraine: The History and Legacy of Ukraine from the Middle Ages to Today

by Charles River Editors

The history of Ukraine is a fascinating story of how cultures, political systems, religions, and power have met, intersected, morphed, and expanded. The region was relatively sparsely populated for much of ancient history, a wilderness of rivers, forests, and steppes, but that does not detract from the rich historical development of the region. A huge area, Ukraine is wedged between the continents of Asia and Europe, and its position as a crossroads ensured there was fierce competition for influence there. Historians have called the formation of Ukraine the “establishment of a unity among three zones…the ports of Crimea and the coast, the rich steppe heartland, and the forests,” based around the themes of “geography, ecology and culture.”
Today’s Ukraine is a huge country, incorporating an area over 600,000 square kilometers and home to 42 million people. It stretches from the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea in the south to Belarus in the north, Russia to the east, and Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west. The Dnieper River is the region’s key waterway, running into the Black Sea, while the Danube Delta also forms its border with modern-day Romania to the southwest. A steppe exists in the middle of the country while the Carpathian Mountains feature in the west. This geographical formation has influenced some of the country’s key historical developments, as well as the location of its major settlements. Kiev (known today as Kyiv) is, of course, the longstanding capital of the country, located on the Dnieper River in the central northern part of modern Ukraine. Lviv is another large city, located in the northwest near the border with Poland. Odessa is a seaside city on the Black Sea in Ukraine’s southwest, while Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk are major cities in the country’s east, close to the Russian border.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Ukraine, European History, Historical

96 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2020

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting place to start learning about Ukraine. But should probably pick up a longer and more fact heavy non fiction

[Kamran syed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sketchy but being so brief; it gives an idea of the beginning of the history of Ukraine, it's relation to Russia and the role it plays in the context of Russian policy.
Ukraine holds an important status in the eyes of Russians who see it as an inseparable part of the Rus culture. That's one of the reason of continuous foreign & Russian involvement in the country. If somehow, the west could alienate Ukraine from Russia; it will be able to play a bigger role in geopolitics of other countries surrounding Russia.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a brief Cliff's notes, not an actual study.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief intro to Ukrainian history.

[Franzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview and start to getting into Ukraine history. At times, I wished for a more engaging narrative, it was really flat at times.

[sumo · Rating 3 out of 5]

“And the country’s future is still likely to be highly contested.” Written in 2020. They got that right. The rest of the book was very top level and textbook like which makes sense since I think this is a textbook. It was good to learn a little bit about the history of Ukraine, though Days. Recommend as a quick read and primer.

[Sarah Bodaly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick and enjoyable read. Already having a cursory knowledge of some of Ukraine by virtue of living in close proximity, I appreciated that much of the information in this book took the small bit I knew, and expanded upon it. I had visited the city of Khmelnitsky – this told the history of General Khmelnitsky, for whom the city was named. I knew that Catholicism was very prevalent in Ukraine, especially in the western portion, but as my focus was more on Moldova than Ukraine, I never got around to finding out why, even though it did raise my curiosity that Russian Orthodoxy was not supreme as it was in Moldova. Detailed enough to cover information well, but without getting bogged down in the minutia, this was a well-planned book. I really enjoyed it, and I think even someone who didn’t have a personal connection or interest in the country, as I did, would also enjoy it, to learn more about the country and its history, and further their scope of world education.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seemed as much a history of Russia as of Ukraine, but I suppose that is unavoidable. Very interesting and detailed for such a short book on a complex history. I was intrigued to learn of the occupation of Ukraine by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which puts the invasion of Poland during WWII in a somewhat more complex light.

[Judy Masters · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short history of Ukraine. I enjoyed learning a bit about the country and its history. Not in-depth, but
certainly enough information to give the reader a good understanding of the independent country and a little of why Russian wants to take it over.

[Jessica✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really didn’t know that the Ukraine was that connected to Russia. Please don’t misunderstand I knew that it became it’s own country etc etc, I just didn’t know the extent of Russia’s influence. I learned a lot, but also I feel like it only skimped the surface and there is still so much more to learn.
It also ends really abruptly which was very jarring.

[sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good for an overview that ends abruptly before the current conflicts. It introduces the most critical characters including Putin, though very briefly, and If you can find this at the library it is a useful springboard into more comprehensive works.

[Mary Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward, no frills recount of Ukraine over the centuries. Highly informative

[Andrew Sternisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief high level overview of Ukrainian history. Useful for someone who doesn’t have much knowledge of their history.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief intro, covers the major historical periods in broad strokes.

[Riccardo Lo Monaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

As advertised.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I listened to this on audiobook.)

[Cheryll · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick book on the history of Ukraine which includes a substantial bit of Russian history through 2020. Includes photos of leaders of both countries.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of Ukraine. Troubled country. Many wars.

[Rebecca Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for a quick overview of the history of Ukraine

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good brief history. Unfortunately, it is already out of date.

[Beka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected it to read more like story telling, but it was like reading a text book. That being said, it was well written and informative. I'm glad I read it. I did the audiobook version.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief overview of Ukraine from the Rus period through the post-Soviet era.

[Bennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice review on the history of Ukraine. Provides a little understanding as to some of the reasoning behind Putin's actions to regain control of this country.

[Jess Firlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good overview and provided a general knowledge of Ukrainian history.

It seems like a lot of the other reviews expected a single book to turn them into a full-fledged historian.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent intro/overview, lots to unpack over several centuries.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, but informative.

[Natalie Susa · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly parts of this were word for word from the other Ukrainian history book from the same author. just pick one or the other

[Lukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ukraina ostatnio często pojawia się w mediach. Postanowiłem więcej dowiedzieć się na temat historii tego kraju. Ta pozycja w świetny sposób podsumowuje historię tego kraju.

[Elizabeth StClair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good overview of the history of Ukraine. The book was published in 2020 -- and sadly foreshadowed Russia's invasion.

[Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview. This would be a good (and necessary) read for many of the people that have opinions about Russia and Ukraine. The best way to counter revisionist history is with actual history.