Ukraine: Perestroika to Independence

Description

The first extensive examination in English of the events leading up to Ukraine’s independence. Between 1985 and 1991, perestroika and glasnost unleashed forces in Ukraine that were to have a profound impact throughout Eastern Europe. Chapters include:

Theories of Nationalism and the Soviet Ukrainian Context

Strengths and Weaknesses of the National Movement

Ukraine on the Eve of the Gorbachev Era

Gorbachev, Dissent and the New Opposition (1987-8)

Consolidation (1988-9)

The Birth of Mass Politics (1989-90)

1990: Ukrainian Elections and the Rise of a Multi-Party System

Stalemate and the Rise of National Communism (1990-1)

From Soviet to Independent Ukraine: The Coup and Aftermath

Conclusions

Taras Kuzio and Andrew Wilson give an outstanding account of the people, groups, events, and forces that shaped this remarkable period in history. Theirs is the first significant account of the dynamics of Ukraine’s independence. This achievement is all the more significant because the events taking place in Ukraine during this period have been misunderstood or ignored by Western observers with a centrist bias in their view of the former Soviet Union. At the same time, Kuzio and Wilson examine Ukraine as a case study in nation-building. They have looked at this period within a framework that notes the various plateaus reached along the road to Ukrainian independence. This affords the reader an opportunity to discern the significance of specific developments and to view this dramatic time from a broader perspective. Co-published with Macmillan Press.