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袘褉邪屑邪 袆胁褉芯锌懈. 袉褋褌芯褉褨褟 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 胁褨写 褋泻褨褎褋褜泻懈褏 胁芯褦薪 写芯 薪械蟹邪谢械卸薪芯褋褌褨

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袣薪懈谐邪 褑褨泻邪胁芯 泄 写芯褋褌褍锌薪芯 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨写邪褦 锌褉芯 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 薪邪褕芯褩 写械褉卸邪胁懈 胁褨写 褔邪褋褨胁 袚械褉芯写芯褌邪 写芯 锌芯写褨泄 薪邪 小褏芯写褨 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 褋褜芯谐芯写薪褨. 笑械 邪胁褌芯褉懈褌械褌薪械 胁懈写邪薪薪褟 写芯锌芯屑芯卸械 泻褉邪褖械 蟹褉芯蟹褍屑褨褌懈 锌芯写褨褩 屑懈薪褍谢芯谐芯, 邪 褔械褉械蟹 薪懈褏 鈥� 褨 薪邪褕械 褋褜芯谐芯写械薪薪褟. 袗胁褌芯褉 褎芯泻褍褋褍褦 褍胁邪谐褍 薪邪 褍泻褉邪褩薪褑褟褏 褟泻 薪邪泄斜褨谢褜褕褨泄 写械屑芯谐褉邪褎褨褔薪褨泄 谐褉褍锌褨, 邪 蟹谐芯写芯屑 鈥� 谐芯谢芯胁薪褨泄 褋懈谢褨, 褖芯 褋褌芯褟谢邪 蟹邪 褋褌胁芯褉械薪薪褟屑 褋褍褔邪褋薪芯褩 薪邪褑褨褩. 袛褨蟹薪邪泄褌械褋褟, 褟泻 薪邪褕褨 锌褉械写泻懈 芦锌褉懈蟹胁邪谢懈 胁邪褉褟谐褨胁 薪邪 褑邪褉褞胁邪薪薪褟禄, 褟泻 薪邪褕邪 泻褉邪褩薪邪 斜芯褉芯谢邪褋褟 蟹邪 锌褉邪胁芯 斜褍褌懈 薪械蟹邪谢械卸薪芯褞, 锌褉芯泄褕谢邪 泻褉褨蟹褜 褔邪褋懈 泻褉褨锌邪褑褌胁邪, 泻芯屑褍薪褨褋褌懈褔薪芯谐芯 褌械褉芯褉褍 泄 袚芯谢芯写芯屑芯褉褍, 袛褉褍谐芯褩 褋胁褨褌芯胁芯褩 胁褨泄薪懈 褌邪 胁褉械褕褌褨-褉械褕褌 芯褌褉懈屑邪谢邪 薪械蟹邪谢械卸薪褨褋褌褜. 芦袘褉邪屑邪 袆胁褉芯锌懈禄 鈥� 褑械 锌褉邪胁写懈胁邪 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 薪邪褕芯褩 泻褉邪褩薪懈, 薪邪褕懈褏 锌褉邪谐薪械薪褜 褌邪 卸懈褌褌褟! 袩芯褉懈薪褜褌械 褍 褋锌芯谐邪写懈 锌褉械写泻褨胁 褌邪 褩褏薪褨 写芯谢褨, 褖芯 胁懈褉褨褕懈谢懈 薪邪褕械 褋褜芯谐芯写械薪薪褟!

496 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2015

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About the author

小械褉谐褨泄 袩谢芯褏褨泄 - 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻懈泄 褌邪 邪屑械褉懈泻邪薪褋褜泻懈泄 褨褋褌芯褉懈泻, 锌褉芯褎械褋芯褉 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻芯褩 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 胁 袚邪褉胁邪褉写褋褜泻芯屑褍 褍薪褨胁械褉褋懈褌械褌褨, 写械 胁褨薪 褌邪泻芯卸 蟹邪泄屑邪褦 锌芯褋邪写褍 写懈褉械泻褌芯褉邪 袚邪褉胁邪褉写褋褜泻芯谐芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻芯谐芯 薪邪褍泻芯胁芯谐芯 褨薪褋褌懈褌褍褌褍. 袨写懈薪 蟹 锌褉芯胁褨写薪懈褏 褋锌械褑褨邪谢褨褋褌褨胁 蟹 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 小褏褨写薪芯褩 袆胁褉芯锌懈

袨褌褍褌 蟹薪邪褏芯写懈褌褜褋褟 泄芯谐芯 邪薪谐谢芯屑芯胁薪懈泄 锌褉芯褎邪泄谢: Serhii Plokhy

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 986 reviews
Profile Image for Mikey B..
1,101 reviews462 followers
April 1, 2022
I felt with the Putin invasion of Ukraine that I should brush up on Ukrainian history. At over 350 pages this book provides an excellent introduction. Well over half of the book is from the 1800s to 2020.

I did find the early history of Ukraine had many complexities. Some terms seemed interchangeable and confusing in their meaning 鈥� Ruthenian, Ukrainian, Galician, Cossacks鈥�

Page 118 my book

Until the end of the eighteenth century, most of Ukraine鈥� would remain divided between Poland and Russia. The division would have profound effects on Ukrainian identity and culture.

Ukrainian history is interwoven with Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Poland. Lithuania, Austro-Hungarian Empire (Galicia) and several other European countries.

The author explains as well the religious intricacies of the Uniate Church (a blend of Orthodox and Catholicism) and Russian Orthodox. There has always been a pull of Ukrainian nationhood towards the West. The brutalization by the Soviet Union to Ukraine culture (and also Eastern European countries and the Baltic countries) encouraged this Western pull. Even with the dominance of Russia/Soviet Union of Ukraine over the centuries, there was always a stirring and simmering of Ukrainian nationalism to form a country.

Throughout its long embattled history Ukraine has formed alliances with several nationalities in attempts to survive 鈥� with the Ottoman Empire, Vikings (and then Sweden), Poland (several times), Belarus, Austria, and Germany - and with Russia right on the periphery, believing Ukraine was 鈥淟ittle Rus鈥� and belonging to Russia.

Page 126 Ivan Mazepa 1708

鈥淢oscow, that is the Greater Russian nation, has always been hateful to our Little Russian nation; in its malicious intentions it has long resolved to drive our nation to perdition.鈥�

Page 153 1830s

The [Russian] imperial minister of education Count Sergei Uvarov formulated the foundation of the new Russian imperial identity: autocracy, Orthodoxy, and nationalism鈥� Uvarov鈥檚 nationality was not general, but specifically Russian鈥� They gather into one whole the sacred remnants of Russian nationality. That nationality included Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians.

There have always been some Ukrainians who valued their Russian 鈥渉eritage鈥�. The elites would study in Moscow and St. Petersburg. But many valued their Ukrainian background like Taras Shevchenko (1814 鈥� 1861) 鈥� and set the precedents for a growing Ukrainian nationalism and culture.

Washington DC - April 2015

Taras Shevchenko Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Page 158

They [Ukrianian writers and poets] envisioned Ukraine as a free republic in a broader Slavic union.

Due to constant repression from several ethnicities, many Ukrainians left for the United States and Canada in the early 1900s 鈥� over 600,000. This set up a base for a growing and flourishing diaspora.

The author discusses anti-Semitism, the Holodomor (where close to four million people perished in Ukraine in a famine caused by Stalin), and the devastation caused by the Second World War. There was another famine after World War II when Stalin put priority on industrial development over agriculture. Close to one million died.

Truly this is an area of the world where suffering in the first half of the 20th century was ceaseless.

Ukraine voted overwhelmingly to become a nation in December, 1991. Less than a month later the Soviet Empire dissolved (it had really been dissolving for several years). Since then, Ukraine has been plagued by corruption and greedy oligarchs. And as we all know now, by a Russia and leader who never ceases to believe that Ukraine is part of Russia 鈥� and is instrumental to re-building a Russian Empire. It鈥檚 no wonder many Ukrainians look to the West for deliverance from Russian imperialism.
Profile Image for Matt.
4,516 reviews13k followers
January 13, 2019
While I have long heard that the maternal side of my family came from Ukraine in the 1930s, I was not old enough to ask the poignant questions to those who made the journey while they were still alive. While it is not entirely necessary to understand the political and social rationale, my curiosity has always been quite high to better understand what led these people to flee and settle throughout Saskatchewan, in Canada鈥檚 Prairie West. A recent topic in my reading challenge pushed me to explore some of my ancestral roots, which paved the way to better understand Ukraine as a country, a political entity, and a society. While I may not discover all the answers I seek, Serhii Plokhy wrote a fairly comprehensive history of the region, giving me a greater understanding of my ancestral homeland, leaving me many new questions that will have to be answered through further research. Plokhy begins his exploration by discussing the territory that would eventually become Ukraine as being vast and open, unbordered in the modern sense. Various groups settled in the region, leaving their marks, including: Neanderthal mammoth hunters, the Norsemen (Vikings), Cossacks, and various others. These groups sought not necessarily to overtake the territory, but to offer influential marks in defence, arms, and primitive political assembly. Plokhy pushes through the centuries quite effectively, with the Ottomans entering the fray, as well as an early Russian Empire, both squeezing the land that would be called Ukraine in a time. Interestingly enough, the influence of these outsider empires helped formulate a cultural mix and a people who referred to themselves as the Rus鈥�, though a number of other names have been given to these people, as Plokhy discusses for the interested reader. Plokhy goes into much greater detail in the early part of the book about many of the cultural and social entities that wove the early fabric of the Rus鈥� people, should the reader wish to indulge in this discussion. With politics and geography always evolving, the Rus鈥� found themselves influenced by these two strong-willed groups as the Hapsburgs came along and laid claim to other European neighbours, adding new and flavourful influences to the region. A seminal event in Ukrainian鈥攁nd world鈥攈istory would have to be the Great War, where empires fell and territory was handed out like sweets at a party. The Rus鈥� people, now seeing themselves as Ukrainians, saw the potential to seek independence during a movement of removing past shackles. Interestingly enough, as the Russian Revolution came to pass, Ukraine sought to declare itself autonomous as well, but did not have the military or political might to stand entirely alone, as they soon discovered. Rather, they had the ever-powerful Bolshevik Russia breathing down their neck and quashing any hopes of independence. Plokhy explores an interesting perspective at this point, with army general Stalin wanting Ukraine to fall under the Russian umbrella in this new collective, but Lenin felt it better to make them a Ukrainian people, developing the (other) USSR, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. As part of this vast republic, Ukraine became the second largest of all the republics, even as other countries began eating away at their borders鈥攏amely: Poland, Russia, and Czechoslovakia鈥攊n the inter-war years. Stalin鈥檚 rise to power saw him flex his muscle and turn to the Ukrainians, punishing them by taking all their agricultural offerings and starving them out. A pogrom if ever there was one, this Great Famine was Stalin鈥檚 way of turning Ukraine into a great republic, though one can only imagine how beating them down would help them. Plokhy notes that the Ukrainian lands were also quite sought after when the Nazis arrived in the early 1940s to invade Russia. Hitler spent significant time in Ukraine, laying the groundwork for a key cog in the Nazi wheel, with its plentiful fields and the like, though many readers will know what happened to the Nazis. They did, however, leave their mark, alongside Stalin, in ridding the region of Jews, carting them off to camps and luring robust Ukrainian men away from the country to work in Germany. By the Cold War years, Ukraine was a staple part of the Soviet republics, but after Stalin鈥檚 death, the bloodletting seemed to taper off, as numerous other leaders utilised Ukraine as one of the key pillars in keeping the region afloat. Soviet Party influence waned for the latter years of the USSR and was completely obliterated with the disintegration of the Soviet Empire in 1991. On wobbly legs, Ukraine emerged as independent for a time, supported by democratic elections and recognition around the world. Plokhy offers an interesting narrative about some of the revolutionary elections that led Ukrainian politicians to push back. However, with Putin sitting in the Kremlin, Ukraine was soon being meddled with once again. Putin pushed for Russian-backed parties to win elections and went so far as to overturn elections in the Crimean Region, installing a party that had not garnered much support by the people鈥攕urely more blatant and doable, as social media and collusion tactics were not needed, as in North America. Plokhy leaves open the possibility that Russia and Ukraine with lock horns again over a variety of issues, including the latter鈥檚 ability to remain independent. He asks the curious reader to keep an open mind as things progress politically, hoping that the world will not let a Russian fist erase democracy. However, if they can put a Russian agent into the White House, one can only imagine they can do so anywhere. A brilliant piece of writing that gives the reader a great overall view of the region鈥檚 development and casts light on some of the current skirmishes with Russia over the Crimea, sure to be a highly controversial battle for years to come. Recommended to those who wish to learn more about Ukraine without getting bogged down in the minute history of the region.

As I mentioned before, I wanted a little something that would open my eyes to some of my ancestral roots, as well as offer me the history and politics of a region about which I know so little. Plokhy does this in an even-handed manner, mixing social, cultural, and political history together in an easy to digest format. The book tries not to skim, but it is almost impossible to delve in too deeply and still offer up a book that can be carried from one place to another. Plokhy鈥檚 arc of Ukrainian history opens the discussion, but never does he profess to having all the answers or to be the final word on the matter. While I refuse to call it a primer, this book does lay some basic foundations for those who want to learn more. Plokhy鈥檚 writing style is also easy to comprehend, offering readers lots of information in a relevant format. Depending on the topic at hand, chapters can be short or more detailed, permitting to reader to extract what they want before moving along. Written in English, there was little I felt I might be missing at the hands of a translator, which helped me feel confident in my reading, though I am sure Plokhy has been able to thoroughly research the topics in their original languages, as well as relying on other historians who have taken the leap before him. While the region may not be of interest to all, I can see many readers learning a great deal, even if they chose only to read key chapters in the book: lead-up to the Great War through the the Cold War fallout. While I never promote 鈥榩arachuting鈥� into a book, I admit this was the section that interested me most and allowed me to extract a great deal of information to whet my appetite and cultivate a stronger understanding of familial roots. I suppose I will have to see if I cannot better comprehend what led my family to leave Ukraine and settle in Saskatchewan. The Prairie West does have a strong Ukrainian population and Plokhy has given me some good ideas why this might be the case.

Kudos, Mr. Plokhy, for enlightening me on this subject. I feel better versed and am eager to tackle some of your other work, which I see deals with other regional interest of mine!

This book fulfils Topic#3: Show Your Roots in the Equinox #6 Reading Challenge.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:


A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: /group/show/...
Profile Image for wow_42.
126 reviews87 followers
March 6, 2024
泻薪懈谐褍 胁邪褉褌芯 褔懈褌邪褌懈 胁褋褨屑. 褟泻褖芯 胁懈 写褍屑邪褦褌械, 褖芯 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 褑械 薪械 写谢褟 胁邪褋, 褌芯 锌芯写褍屑邪泄褌械 褖械 褉邪蟹 褨 斜褨卸褨褌褜 褔懈褌邪褌懈 褑褞 泻薪懈谐褍.

褌邪泻, 写谢褟 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 蟹薪邪褦 褕泻褨谢褜薪褍 锌褉芯谐褉邪屑褍 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 胁褋械 斜褍写械 写芯褋褌邪褌薪褜芯 蟹薪邪泄芯屑芯. 邪谢械 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪褌懈 褑褞 泻薪懈谐褍 斜褍写械 薪械锌芯谐邪薪懈屑 锌褨写褋褍屑泻芯屑 褌邪 薪邪谐邪写褍胁邪薪薪褟屑 胁褋褜芯谐芯 胁懈胁褔械薪芯谐芯 写芯 褑褜芯谐芯.

写谢褟 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 胁 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 薪褍谢褜 褨 胁懈 褏芯褔械褌械 蟹 褔芯谐芯褋褜 锌芯褔邪褌懈? 褌邪泻, 褑褟 泻薪懈谐邪 褌械卸 写谢褟 胁邪褋. 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪芯 薪械 写褍褕薪芯, 褑褨泻邪胁芯, 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈泄 泄 邪谢褎邪胁褨褌薪懈泄 锌芯泻邪卸褔懈泻 褦, 褉械泻芯屑械薪写芯胁邪薪邪 谢褨褌械褉邪褌褍褉邪 褦.

胁邪褕褨 写褉褍蟹褨-胁械褋褌械褉薪懈 锌芯褋褌褨泄薪芯 锌懈褌邪褞褌褜, 邪 褖芯 褔懈褌邪褌懈 锌褉芯 校泻褉邪褩薪褍? 褨 锌褨写 褑械泄 锌褍薪泻褌 泻薪懈谐邪 袩谢芯褏褨褟 锌褨写褏芯写懈褌褜. 褋褌褨谢褜泻懈 薪芯胁懈褏 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈褏 泻芯薪褌械泻褋褌褨胁 谢褞写懈 写谢褟 褋械斜械 蟹屑芯卸褍褌褜 胁褨写泻褉懈褌懈.
Profile Image for Carlos.
671 reviews305 followers
January 14, 2017
This book was a challenge for me , I have wanted to learn more about Ukraine since I heard about the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, I finally got the chance to do it . Ukrainian history is full of invasions, violence and empires , from the Austrian , polish , German and soviets . It has been defined by multiethnic cultures and by a conglomeration of citizens that shared a language but not a culture , it has managed to survived the oppression of its language both written and spoken by the Soviet Union ever since WW 2, in this book you will find that for good or bad Ukrainian history is linked to Russian history, as Ukraine has fought for its sovereignty it has clashed with Russia many times before , therefore a knowledge of Russian history is needed to enjoy this book better , but not necessary since the author does a good job of introducing all of these concepts step by step in a very detailed manner, I recommend this book to anyone who tries to understand current relations between Russian and the rest of the world as Ukraine is the ground where it has been tested for the first time.
Profile Image for Andrew.
671 reviews235 followers
June 1, 2016
The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, was a tough read for me. To preface, my family is of Ukrainian heritage, and I am always interested in learning about Ukrainian culture and history. Serhii Plokhy has not itched that scratch for me. The Gates of Europe is a short book for something so ambitious, and it really begins to show as one reads. Massive details that would have been fascinating to read in depth are glossed over. The book is just too ambitious for its own good. Entire centuries are covered in a few pages. Only a chapter or two is dedicated to the fascinating time-period of Greek and Roman colonization of the Crimea. Tartar and Steppe tribes are relegated to foreign "others" and ignored, only being mentioned as untrustworthy allies of the valiant Cossack Tribes in their struggle against foreign aggression from Poland, the Ottomans, and Muscovy. The Cossack's received much more coverage than most of the rest of history, with another large chunk dedicated to more modern (and politically questionable) material.

Plokhy had an axe to grind with this book, and he did it. It was a timely release due to the Russian backed war in Eastern Ukraine that began to gather steam in 2013. It is also politically charged, with Plokhy pulling no punches in his discourse on Ukrainian and Russian conflict and interdependence throughout history.

He goes to great length, as well, to talk about the cultural differences that developed between the Rus of Kiev and the Rus in Muscovy, and the religious and cultural changes that occurred under the tutelage of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The desire for independence throughout history did not always exist, but Ukraine developed its own national identity throughout history due to its connections to other European states, and its closeness to the Turkic and Tartar tribes that inhibited the Crimean region. These were the more interesting parts of the book.

Even so, there is little that I can say to recommend this book to anyone. It is far too politically charged to be a serious history book. The edition I read had literally zero sources. There are hundreds of statements in this book that are questionable and biased, and I would love to see the sources to allay my suspicions. Huge portions of fascinating historical periods are glossed over to play off the Ukrainian-Russian rivalry that will sell copies of this book. It is difficult for me to say anything more, as I enjoyed this book so little. I urge any readers to only pick this up if they are inclined to do so for political reasons. There are many facts that will be interesting to those who interested in historical background to current events. However, as a serious history book, and one written by the chair of Ukrainian history at Harvard University no less, this is a poor excuse.
484 reviews102 followers
March 17, 2022
This is a great history of Ukraine from the sevenhundreds till present.
It is quite an unbias account of the peoples and cultures of Ukraine.
The author goes in to some depth on the battles they have faught and on there stratigic location.
I recommend every one reads this book.
Profile Image for John Anthony.
898 reviews148 followers
April 28, 2022
This was quite hard work for me, the reader. But what a task for the author: 1500 or so years of history in just over 350 pages! And what a history 鈥� rich, complex, multi faceted with a DNA that probably links most of us to Ukraine, somewhere along the line.

No surprise, after reading this, that its people are brave fighters. They have had to do it throughout their history. The country, or at least one region or another of it, has been almost constantly fought over. An amalgam of regions, each with its own history and identity.

The Rus鈥� Vikings, a mix of Norwegian, Swedish and probably Finnish settlers, provided some early warrior rulers (Vikings attacked Constantinople in 960). The Ottoman Empire, The Austrian Empire, Muscovite rulers, the Poles and the Germans all figured in the country鈥檚 history. This is reflected in Ukraine鈥檚 religious history with its many variations of Orthodoxy.

For me, the later chapters - c 1900 onwards were especially interesting and helped to give some context to the more recent troubles, particularly those involving its bullying neighbour (Soviet) Russia.

I bought this on 24th February, the day Putin invaded Ukraine for the second time. I guess what I have seen daily on the T. V. over the past month is the next chapter. Plokhy鈥檚 book was published in 2015, the year after the Russian annexation of Crimea. The author鈥檚 concluding words echo prophetically in the light of the last few weeks:

鈥淭he Russian annexe of the Crimea, the hybrid war in the Donbas, and attempts to destabilise the rest of the country created a new and dangerous situation not only in Ukraine but also in Europe as a whole. For the first time since the end of World War II, a major European power made war on a weaker neighbor and annexed part of a sovereign state. The Russian invasion breached not only the Russo-Ukrainian treaty of 1997 but also the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, which had offered Ukraine security assurances in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons and acceding to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty as a nonnuclear state. The unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine threatened the foundations of international order 鈥� a threat to which the European Union and most of the world were not prepared to respond to but one that demands appropriate counter-action. Whatever the outcome of the current Ukraine Crisis, on its resolution depends not only the future of Ukraine but also that of relations between Europe鈥檚 east and west 鈥� Russia and the European Union 鈥� and thus the future of Europe as a whole.鈥�
Profile Image for Akram Salam.
16 reviews3 followers
October 31, 2020
Serhii Plokhy is a professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University and the director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. I've read several books on Russia, and this is my second on Ukraine. First of all, wow. The story of Ukraine cannot be told in a vacuum, and as Dr. Plokhy gives the greater historical and geographical context for an event, it is so eye-opening to look at that event now from a Ukrainian rather than Russian point of view. The great level of detail allows for a sort of character development of "who" Ukraine is. For instance, Dr. Plokhy often compares and contrasts the social and political conditions in the regions of Western Ukraine such as Podolia, Volhynia, Galicia, Bukovina as he progresses through the chronological history of Ukraine. Of course, all regions of Ukraine are discussed in much depth. Dr. Plokhy does justice to many key issues on Ukraine by offering his analyses: Does Ukraine have an identity independent of Russia? Was Ukrainian culture really suppressed or exploited at different times by the Soviet Union? Was the famine (holodomor) of 1932-33 engineered and targeted? Did Ukraine play a major role in the dissolution of the USSR? Are Russia's claims to Crimea valid? And so much more. I personally have an acquaintance from Donetsk who had once answered all these questions for me, giving the exact opposite points of view as Dr. Plokhy -- who actually mentions in this book the Donetsk-centric outlook on key issues. So! If you have an interest in Ukraine, you must pick up this book. And then go to Ukraine because it is such a beautiful country with amazing and diverse people!
Profile Image for Wesley Giesbrecht.
30 reviews7 followers
July 22, 2020
One of the problems with reading national histories, especially those of the former-Soviet states, is that they tend to be written from the author's political viewpoint. For example, a history of the Republic of Moldova may feature either a pro-Romanian or a pro-Russian emphasis, depending on the author's personal views.

The same is true of Serhii Plokhy's history of Ukraine, though he is far more objective and fair in his presentation of Ukrainian history than the mere nationalists on either side of the Ukrainian debate. Plokhy is definitely not pro-Russian, but he doesn't come across as someone on the far side of Ukrainian nationalism. He's a Ukrainian patriot who recognizes that the history of Ukraine consists of the union of a plurality of identities, languages, faiths, and cultures.

Plokhy agrees with the position that the historical Slavic inhabitants of Kyivan Rus are the forefathers of modern Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians (thereby recognizing the ethnic, culture, religious, and historical commonality between them) but argues convincingly that the various historical trajectories, though oftentimes overlapping, sets them apart from each other as unique ethnic and cultural groups.

I most appreciated his willingness to not cover-up the darker sides of Ukrainian history. Oftentimes contemporary presentations of Ukraine leave one with the impression that Ukrainians are the eternally oppressed people of Eastern Europe (perhaps the Armenia of Eastern Europe), and while vast portions of Ukrainian history reveal the Ukrainians being subjected, oppressed, and suppressed, there are times when Ukrainians have contributed to the history of violence and discrimination; whether it's the pogroms against Jews during the Khmelnytsky revolts of the 17th century or Ukrainian attacks on Polish villages in 1943.

I also appreciate his fairly balanced presentation of the complex history of the relationship between Ukraine and Russia. He relates both the good and the bad as well as the difference of opinion within the Ukrainians communities themselves. While many Ukrainians living in Russian Imperial lands longed for Ukrainian autonomy there were also the Russophiles who lived in the Austrian controlled lands. The history of Ukrainian opinion about Russia has been varied and Plokhy does well to present this.

Overall, as an introductory text to the history of Ukraine, Plokhy's book is highly recommendable. Following the main text he includes an historical timeline of Ukraine, a list of notable figures within Ukrainian history, as well as a comprehensive list of further reading for each major period covered in the book.
Profile Image for Gabriela Pistol.
608 reviews238 followers
June 25, 2022
4. 4

Aceasta nu este o lucrare pop-science. Acesta este un adev膬rat manual de istorie, care nu doar 卯n葯ir膬 o succesiune de evenimente 葯i figuri, ci te face s膬 卯n葲elegi fenomene.
De la primele triburi r膬zboinice din step膬 la Rusia Kievean膬 - ironic, mai mult Kievean膬 dec芒t Rusie, pentru ca e vorba de fapt de vikingul Rus'-, la cazacii care trezesc con葯tiin葲a na葲ional膬 葯i c膬lug膬rii kieveni din secolul XVII care fac gre葯eala fundamental膬 s膬 creeze conceptul de malo ru葯i (micii ru葯i), 卯n 卯ncercarea de a ob葲ine protec葲ia 葲arilor, o sintagm膬 ce 卯nc膬 d膬 ap膬 la moar膬 unui dictator dement din secolul XXI, p芒n膬 la Holodomor 葯i Holocaust, Ucraina Sovietic膬, cele trei Maidane 葯i anexarea Crimeei + r膬zboiul separatist din Donbass, Plokhy (Ploh卯i 卯n alt膬 grafie) d膬 mult de lucru cititorului. Mult 葯i greu. Precum istoria acestei 葲膬ri h膬r葲uite ne卯ncetat de toate imperiile din zon膬, mai ceva ca Rom芒nia (la ei au mai fost 葯i Polonia 葯i Lituania, pe l芒ng膬 toti ru葯ii, otomanii, austro-ungarii, nem葲ii). Dar 卯n final ajungi la ceva foarte dificil de realizat, mai ales zilele astea: o viziune de ansamblu a unei situa葲ii extrem de complicate.

Sunt enorm de multe episoade 葯i idei interesante, dar o s膬 men葲ionez doar un eveniment 葯i dou膬 concluzii ale autorului.
Episodul: 卯n 1994 se semneaz膬 Memorandumul de la Budapesta, prin care Rusia, dar 葯i Marea Britanie 葯i Statele Unite 卯i garanteaz膬 Ucrainei securitatea grani葲elor, 卯n schimbul semn膬rii de c膬tre Ucraina a Tratatului de neproliferare a armamentului nuclear. Se presupune c膬, la acel moment, Ucraina de葲inea al treilea cel mai mare arsenal nuclear al lumii (mo葯tenire sovietic膬). Ucraina chiar renun葲膬 la arsenal. S膬 judece fiecare 卯n ce m膬sur膬 cele trei puteri 卯葯i respect膬 angajamentul.
Concluziile lui Plokhy:
1. Este foarte dificil s膬 construie葯ti 葯i s膬 p膬strezi o identitate na葲ional膬 unitar膬 卯ntr-un spa葲iu at芒t de mozaicat etnic 葯i cultural precum Ucraina.
罢辞迟耻葯颈,
2. Toate r膬zboaiele au 卯nt膬rit enorm identitatea na葲ional膬 a celui invadat.

Sunt sigur膬 c膬 exist膬 o doz膬 de subiectivism 卯n expunerea autorului, dar lucrarea mi se pare o surs膬 excelent膬 de informa葲ii pentru un profan (unul r膬bd膬tor 葯i interesat, totu葯i).
Profile Image for Clif Hostetler.
1,241 reviews956 followers
May 28, 2022
This book is a history of Ukraine, and since archeologists have found signs of human habitation dating back to 40,000 years ago, it is a long history. In Classical Greek times it was on the edge of the known world. Greek mythology designated it as the land of the Amazons, and the Greek hero Achilles was believed to be buried there. Herodotus described the region in his Histories and reported on the Scythians who lived there. Later during the time of the Roman Empire their cities on the Black Sea coast needed to be defended against the Sarmatians who were nomads from the east.

Most of that part of the world became inhabited by people referred to as Slavs, but since the Slav occupation was not accomplished by overt invasion we don鈥檛 know very much about where, when, or how they came to be indigenous inhabitants of the land.
We know precious little about the Slavs who settled Ukrainian territory prior to the tenth and eleventh centuries. 鈥� The Slavs were agriculturalists who followed in the wake of nomad invasions, as the nomads who 鈥渕ade history鈥� usually did not know what to do with land that was not steppe in which their animals could graze. The waves of Slavic colonization were slow and mostly peaceful, and the results were to prove long-lasting.
The name Ukraine means 鈥渇rontier鈥� or 鈥渂orderland鈥�, and it follows that their long history is filled with instances of multiple crossings of its border by traders, missionaries, nomadic horsemen, and organized armies from multiple directions. In the ninth and tenth centuries the Vikings passed through from the north seeking trade with the Byzantine empire. They brought the term 鈥淩us鈥欌€� which was later applied to the name for the polity that developed from the tenth to the mid-thirteenth centuries with its center at Kyiv. Scholars today refer to that polity as . The was constructed in Kyiv during this era (11th century).

Kyivan Rus' development stretched over hundreds of years, but its end came abruptly.
Kyivan Rus', a polity with no generally recognized date of birth, has a definite date of death. It occurred on December 7, 1240, when yet another wave of invaders from the Eurasian steppes, the Mongols, conquered the city of Kyiv.
The city of Kyiv diminished in importance under Mongol rule (also known as the Golden Horde). In a decisive battle in 1362, Lithuanian and Rus鈥� forces defeated the a leading tribe of the Golden Horde. The Polish鈥揕ithuanian Commonwealth subsequently controlled the Ukrainian region for many years.

It was during this time that the term 鈥淐ossacks鈥� came to be used to describe what at first were roving bandits and later evolved into a force with which regional powers needed to consider. Over time the term Cossack became synonymous with Ukrainian warriors who sometimes served as mercenaries on opposing sides.
The Cossacks had come a long way鈥攆rom small bands of fishermen and trappers foraging in the steppes south of Kyiv to settlers of new lands along the steppe frontier; from private militiamen in the employ of princes to fighters in an independent force that foreigners treated with respect; and, finally, from refugees and adventurers to members of a cohesive military brotherhood that regarded itself as a distinct social order and demanded from the government not only money but also recognition of its warrior status. The Polish state could benefit from the military might and economic potential of the Cossacks only if it managed to accommodate their social demands. As subsequent developments would show repeatedly, that was no easy task.
In 1476 the first tsar and Muscovite ruler, Grand Prince Ivan III, manage to free his country to the north from the Mongols, and his kingdom would later grow to become a regional power. In an effort to free Ukraine from the Poles, the Cossacks made an agreement with Muscovy in return for their protection. Russia鈥檚 claims to Ukrainian territory date to this event.
The Turning Point in the internationalization of the took place on January 8, 1654, in the town of Pereiaslav. On that day, Bohdan Khmelnytsky and a hastily gathered group of Cossack officers swore allegiance to the new sovereign of Ukraine, Tsar Aleksei Romanov of Muscovy. The long and complex history of Russo-Ukrainian relations had begun.
Unfortunately the promised protection to be provided by Muscovy didn't materialize. The Khmelnytsky uprising unleashed a long period of wars that many historians refer to as . Eventually the Ukraine region was divided between the Ottoman Empire, Polish鈥揕ithuanian Commonwealth, and Muscovy-Russia. Subsequently, the competing empires of Prussia, Austria, and Russia divided up the region. This time period is filled with so many shifts in boundaries that I'll not try to offer a summary in this review.
The eighteenth century was not only an age of enlightenment and reason. More than anything else, it was an age of empire.
This book contains several chapters on Ukrainian cultural, literary, and religious history. After the the Crimean War considerable industrialization occurred in southeastern Ukraine due to the presence of coal and iron ore. Consequently there was labor unrest, and it was this discontent of the impoverished workers that eventually led to the 1917 revolution that deposed the Czar.

After the 1917 Russian Revolution and World War I, Ukraine was filled with warring groups of outlaw bandits, independence revolutionaries, White Russians, and the Red Russians. As part of the Soviet Union under Stalin's rule, Ukraine became victim of the (a human caused famine).
Altogether, close to 4 million people perished in Ukraine as a result of the famine, more than decimating the country鈥攅very eighth person succumbed to hunger between 1932 and 1934.
Ukraine emerged from World War II as one of the Soviet Republics. It had gained territory with the boundaries we know today, but its people and economy were in a sorry state.
Although the map made it seem like one of the main beneficiaries of the war鈥擴kraine鈥檚 territory increased by more than 15 percent鈥攖he republic was in fact one of the war鈥檚 main victims. It lost up to 7 million of its citizens, who had constituted more than 15 percent of its population. Out of 36 million remaining Ukrainians, some 10 million didn鈥檛 have a roof over their heads, as approximately 700 cities and towns and 28,000 villages lay in ruins. Ukraine lost 40 percent of its wealth and more than 80 percent of its industrial and agricultural equipment. In 1945, the republic produced only one-quarter of its prewar output of industrial goods and 40 percent of its previous agricultural produce.
The book provides an interesting accounting of post-war Soviet history including the death of Stalin, the era of Khrushchev and Brezhnev, the 2004 Orange Revolution, and the breakup of the Soviet Union.

The edition of the book I read was published in 2015, which was after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and invasion of Donbas but before the current 2022 war. In the final chapter this book offers the following prognosis for Ukraine's future.
Russian aggression sought to divide Ukrainians along linguistic, regional, and ethnic lines. While that tactic succeeded in some places, most of Ukrainian society united around the idea of a multilingual and multicultural nation joined in administrative and political terms. That idea, born of lessons drawn from Ukraine鈥檚 difficult and often tragic history of internal divisions, rests on a tradition of coexistence of different languages, cultures, and religions over the centuries. The Ukrainians managed to read their troubled history in a way that secured their future as a political nation.
In the book's Epilog the following description of the Russian mindset describes the motivations for the partial invasion then, but I think also applies to the current war.
But Russian mercenaries and volunteers brought to the region an overarching idea of a different kind. Like the best known of the Russian commanders, Igor Girkin, they came to the Donbas to defend the values of the 鈥淩ussian World鈥� against the West. In that context, they saw Ukraine as a battleground between corrupt Western values, including democracy, individual freedoms, human rights, and, especially, the rights of sexual minorities on the one hand and traditional Russian values on the other. By that logic, Western propaganda had simply addled the Ukrainians鈥� minds. It was up to the Russians to show them the light.
The book also contains numerous maps, a timeline of Ukrainian history, and a listing of "Who's Who in Ukrainian History."
Profile Image for Serhii M.
17 reviews6 followers
April 28, 2023
Must read 写谢褟 泻芯卸薪芯谐芯 褍泻褉邪褩薪褑褟, 芯褋芯斜谢懈胁芯 褟泻褖芯 胁懈, 褟泻 褟, 薪械 写褍卸械 写芯斜褉械 胁褔懈谢懈 胁 褕泻芯谢褨 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞.
Profile Image for 袚邪薪薪邪 袣褍蟹褜芯.
Author听1 book66 followers
December 3, 2021
携 褌械锌械褉 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褞, 褔芯屑褍 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 锌芯谐邪薪芯 蟹薪邪谢邪 褨 蟹邪胁卸写懈 褍薪懈泻邪谢邪 胁褋褜芯谐芯 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪芯谐芯 - 褎褨谢褜屑褨胁, 泻薪懈谐, 褉芯蟹屑芯胁. 袘芯 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 - 褑械 薪械胁懈屑芯胁薪芯 斜芯谢褟褔械 褌邪 薪械褋锌褉邪胁械写谢懈胁芯.

袪邪写邪, 褖芯 胁褋械 卸 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪谢邪 "袘褉邪屑褍...", 蟹邪谢懈褕泻懈 褕泻褨谢褜薪懈褏 蟹薪邪薪褜 蟹 褍褉芯泻褨胁 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 褌邪 褋锌芯褉邪写懈褔薪懈褏 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈褏 褎邪泻褌褨胁 褌邪 褋褌邪褌械泄, 褟泻褨 褟 写芯褌械锌械褉 薪械 褔邪褋褌芯 泄 薪械 褉械谐褍谢褟褉薪芯 褋锌芯卸懈胁邪褞, 褟泻芯褋褜 薪邪褉械褕褌褨 褋懈褋褌械屑邪褌懈蟹褍胁邪谢懈褋褟. 袧褍 褟 薪械 褋泻邪卸褍, 褖芯 锌褉褟屑芯 屑芯卸褍 胁邪屑 褉芯蟹锌芯胁褨褋褌懈 胁褨写 袗 写芯 携 锌褉芯 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 校泻褉邪褩薪懈, 邪谢械 屑邪褞 写谢褟 褋械斜械 芯褋芯斜懈褋褌械 褩褩 褉芯蟹褍屑褨薪薪褟. 袙胁邪卸邪褞, 褖芯 泻芯卸械薪 褋胁褨写芯屑懈泄 褍泻褉邪褩薪械褑褜 屑邪褦 胁懈斜褍写褍胁邪褌懈 胁谢邪褋薪械 褉芯蟹褍屑褨薪薪褟 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 蟹 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈褏 写卸械褉械谢. 袙褋褨 胁芯薪懈 褋褍斜'褦泻褌懈胁薪褨, 褌邪泻, 邪谢械 胁褋械 卸 泻薪懈谐邪 胁褨写 褨褋褌芯褉懈泻邪 褦 泻褉邪褖懈屑 写卸械褉械谢芯屑, 薪褨卸 褋褌邪褌褌褨 胁 屑械写褨邪 (蟹邪 胁懈泄薪褟褌泻芯屑 褋褌邪褌械泄 胁褨写 褨褋褌芯褉懈泻褨胁). 袗 褨褋褌芯褉褨褦褞 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 褌邪泻 屑邪薪褨锌褍谢褞褌褜, 芯褋芯斜谢懈胁芯 蟹邪褉邪蟹.

袩褉芯 泻薪懈谐褍: 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪邪 写芯褋懈褌褜 褑褨泻邪胁芯, 薪邪褋泻褨谢褜泻懈 褑械 屑芯卸谢懈胁芯 胁蟹邪谐邪谢褨.
效懈褌邪褌懈 胁邪卸泻芯. 袧邪 锌芯褔邪褌泻褍 蟹 褔邪褋褨胁 褋泻褨褎褨胁, 袣懈褩胁褋褜泻芯褩 袪褍褋褨 胁褋械 斜褍谢芯 写芯斜褉械, 邪写卸械 褑械 斜褍谢芯 写褍卸械 写邪胁薪芯 泄 芯褋芯斜谢懈胁芯 斜芯谢褨褋薪懈褏 锌褉芯斜谢械屑 薪械 斜褍谢芯. 袗 芯褌 褋褍褔邪褋薪褨褕邪 褨褋褌芯褉褨褟 褨褕谢邪 褋泻谢邪写薪芯. 孝褉芯褏懈 褟 蟹邪锌谢褍褌邪谢邪褋褟 胁 锌械褉褨芯写褨 泻芯蟹邪褔褔懈薪懈, 薪械 斜褍谢芯 褌械褉锌褨薪薪褟 胁薪懈泻邪褌懈 胁 锌械褉械锌械褌褨褩, 邪谢械 蟹褉械褕褌芯褞, 胁邪卸谢懈胁褨 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪褨 胁褨褏懈 褌芯写褨 蟹邪泻谢邪写邪谢懈褋褟 泄 斜邪谐邪褌芯 锌褉芯斜谢械屑 褋邪屑械 胁褨写褌芯写褨 褌褟谐薪褍褌褜褋褟.
笑褨泻邪胁芯 斜褍谢芯 褔懈褌邪褌懈 锌褉芯 19-20 褋褌芯谢褨褌褌褟, 邪谢械 写褍卸械 斜芯谢褨褋薪芯. 袙褋褨 褑褨 锌芯写褨谢懈 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 蟹 斜芯泻褍 胁芯泄芯胁薪懈褔懈褏 褨屑锌械褉褨泄 褨 卸械胁褉褨褞褔邪 斜芯褉芯褌褜斜邪 蟹邪 褨写械薪褌懈褔薪褨褋褌褜 褌邪 薪械蟹邪谢械卸薪褨褋褌褜 锌芯屑褨卸 薪懈褏... 袣芯谢懈 写褨泄褕谢邪 屑芯胁邪 写芯 写褉褍谐芯褩 小胁褨褌芯胁芯褩 胁褨泄薪懈 褌邪 锌芯胁芯褦薪薪芯谐芯 锌械褉褨芯写褍, 褟 胁蟹邪谐邪谢褨 褔懈褌邪谢邪, 谢械写褜 薪械 蟹邪褌邪屑褍胁邪胁褕懈 锌芯写懈褏. 啸芯褔邪 邪胁褌芯褉 薪械 写褉邪屑邪褌懈蟹褍褦, 邪谢械 写褉邪屑邪褌懈褔薪懈屑懈 斜褍谢懈 褌褨 锌芯写褨褩 褋邪屑褨 锌芯 褋芯斜褨. 袛褟泻邪 邪胁褌芯褉褍 蟹邪 胁锌谢械褌械薪薪褟 褑褨泻邪胁懈褏 薪械 斜邪薪邪谢褜薪懈褏 褎邪泻褌褨胁 锌褉芯 褌邪泻懈褏 锌械褉褋芯薪, 褟泻 袣芯褋褌褞褕泻芯, 啸褉褍褖芯胁, 袚芯褉斜邪褔芯胁 褌邪 斜邪谐邪褌芯 褨薪褕懈褏.

袨褋褌邪薪薪褨泄 褉芯蟹写褨谢 褋褌芯褋褍褦褌褜褋褟 锌械褉褨芯写褍 薪械蟹邪谢械卸薪芯褋褌褨 校泻褉邪褩薪懈. 笑褨泻邪胁芯 褔懈褌邪褌懈 锌褉芯 锌芯写褨褩, 褟泻褨 胁褨写斜褍谢懈褋褟 蟹邪 屑芯谐芯 卸懈褌褌褟 褍 胁懈泻谢邪写褨 褨褋褌芯褉懈泻邪. 袙芯薪芯 褟泻芯褋褜 褋锌芯泻褨泄薪褨褕械 褋锌褉懈泄屑邪褦褌褜褋褟.

袛褍卸械 褉械泻芯屑械薪写褍褞 褑褞 泻薪懈谐褍 褨 写褟泻褍褞 邪胁褌芯褉褍!
January 9, 2024
褟 写芯褔懈褌邪谢邪 褩褩
锌褨写褍 泻褍锌谢褞 褋芯斜褨 泻懈褩胁褋褜泻懈泄 褌芯褉褌

薪邪褋锌褉邪胁写褨, 泻薪懈谐邪 泻褉褍褌械褑褜泻邪 写谢褟 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 褏芯褔械 锌褉芯泄褌懈 泻芯褉芯褌泻懈泄 械泻褋泻褍褉褋 锌芯 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 校泻褉邪褩薪懈, 邪斜芯 卸 锌褉懈谐邪写邪褌懈 褩褩
褌褍褌 屑邪泻褋懈屑邪谢褜薪邪 芦胁懈卸懈屑泻邪禄, 胁褋械 写褍卸械 褋褌懈褋谢芯, 泻芯褉芯褌泻芯, 褔褨褌泻芯 褌邪 褟褋薪芯
褟 斜褉邪谢邪褋褜 蟹邪 褑褞 泻薪懈谐褍 蟹 胁械谢懈泻懈屑 械薪褌褍蟹褨邪蟹屑芯屑 褖械 褍 谢懈锌薪褨 褌邪 谢懈褕械 蟹邪褉邪蟹 蟹屑芯谐谢邪 褩褩 写芯褔懈褌邪褌懈 褨 褌芯 斜褉邪谢邪 褕褌褍褉屑芯屑, 斜芯 褉邪薪褨褕械 胁械褋褜 褔邪褋 胁褨写泻谢邪写邪谢邪 褨 褔懈褌邪谢邪 褖芯褋褜 褨薪褕械

褌褉芯褏懈 褉芯蟹褔邪褉褍胁邪谢芯 褌械, 褖芯 褟 写谢褟 褋械斜械 薪褨褔芯谐芯 薪芯胁芯谐芯 薪械 锌褨蟹薪邪谢邪 馃槄
褏芯褌褨谢芯褋褟 褟泻懈褏芯褋褜 褑褨泻邪胁懈褏 褎邪泻褌褨胁, 褟泻褨 斜 写懈胁褍胁邪谢芯, 邪 褌褍褌 胁褋械 褋褍褏芯 褨 屑邪泄卸械 褌邪泻, 褟泻 褍 锌褨写褉褍褔薪懈泻邪褏 蟹 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩, 邪谢械 写褍卸械 褋泻芯褉芯褔械薪芯 褌邪 褌械蟹懈褋薪芯

邪谢械 泻薪懈谐邪 泻褉褍褌邪 (屑芯褩 芯褔褨泻褍胁邪薪薪褟 - 褑械 屑芯褩 锌褉芯斜谢械屑懈), 褌芯屑褍 写褍卸械 褉邪写卸褍 芯蟹薪邪泄芯屑懈褌懈褋褜
Profile Image for Dimitri.
961 reviews261 followers
September 5, 2024
***1/2. A mind-opening, loving tale of a country little known to Europe before 2022, with about half devoted to the last two centuries. But. A short history can be too short if you compress post war Soviet Ukraine in 20 pages followed by less than 50 pages for the next generation, up to and including the 2014 annexation of the Crimea.
Profile Image for 袙芯谢芯写懈屑懈褉 袛械屑褔械薪泻芯.
169 reviews79 followers
August 14, 2023
袆 斜邪谐邪褌芯 胁懈写邪薪褜 锌褉懈褋胁褟褔械薪懈褏 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 校泻褉邪褩薪懈. 袙懈写邪薪褜 褋泻谢邪写薪懈褏, 胁懈写邪薪褜 蟹邪薪邪写褌芯 褋锌褉芯褖械薪懈褏 . 芦袘褉邪屑邪 袆胁褉芯锌懈禄 小械褉谐褨褟 袩谢芯褏褨褟, 蟹写邪褦褌褜褋褟, 薪邪泄胁写邪谢褨褕懈泄 胁邪褉褨邪薪褌 写谢褟 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 薪械 屑邪褦 褔邪褋褍 褉芯蟹斜懈褉邪褌懈褋褟 蟹 薪褞邪薪褋邪屑懈, 邪谢械 褏芯褔械 芯蟹薪邪泄芯屑懈褌懈褋褜 蟹 锌褉邪胁写懈胁懈屑 褨褋褌芯褉懈褔薪懈屑 写懈褋泻褍褉褋芯屑 写械褉卸邪胁懈 薪邪 泄屑械薪薪褟 校泻褉邪褩薪邪. 袣薪懈谐邪 褟泻邪 锌芯谢械谐褕懈谢邪 斜懈 薪邪屑 卸懈褌褌褟 薪邪 斜邪谐邪褌褜芯褏 褉褨胁薪褟褏, 邪斜懈 褩褩 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪胁 泻芯卸械薪 (褔懈 褏芯褔邪 斜 斜褨谢褜褕褨褋褌褜) 褍泻褉邪褩薪褑褨胁, 胁芯薪邪 褌邪泻芯卸 蟹薪邪褔薪芯 锌芯谢械谐褕懈谢邪 斜懈 薪邪屑 卸懈褌褌褟 褟泻斜懈 褩褩 锌褉芯褔懈褌邪谢懈 褨薪芯蟹械屑褑褨 褖芯 写芯蟹胁芯谢褟褞褌褜 褋芯斜褨 胁械褋褌懈 锌褍斜谢褨褔薪懈泄 写懈褋泻褍褉褋 薪邪 褌械屑褍 校泻褉邪褩薪邪-褉芯褋褨褟-小胁褨褌. 袨褋芯斜谢懈胁芯 蟹胁邪卸邪褞褔懈 褖芯 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪邪 胁芯薪邪 斜褍谢邪 褟泻褉邪蟹 写谢褟 褨薪芯蟹械屑褑褨胁, 邪 褑械 胁懈写邪薪锟斤拷褟 褦 谢懈褕械 褍泻褉邪褩薪褋褜泻懈屑 锌械褉械泻谢邪写芯屑. 袗谢械鈥π佳€褨褩 屑褉褨褨褨. 袥褞写褟屑 谢械谐褕械 胁褨褉懈褌懈 胁 屑褨褎褨褔薪懈褏 小胁懈写褉懈谐邪泄谢褨胁 袛邪卸斜芯谐芯胁懈褔褨胁 褟泻褨, 蟹褍斜 写邪褞, 锌褉邪胁懈谢懈 胁 765-713 锌芯 写芯. 薪.械 薪褨卸 胁 褋锌褉邪胁卸薪褞, 邪谢械 薪械 褌邪泻褍 褋褌褉褍薪泻褍 褨 谐邪褉薪褍 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞. 小谢邪胁邪 校泻褉邪褩薪褨!
Profile Image for Murtaza.
703 reviews3,388 followers
March 11, 2022
Exhaustive history of the Ukrainian people from their origins as observed in the time of Herodotus, the rise of the Cossacks, up til their present moment as a nation-state struggling for existence. For anyone who wants to plow very deep on the subject of Ukraine this is probably a must-read. The last chapters are updated with information pertinent to the present conflict with Russia.
Profile Image for Evgen Novakovskyi.
242 reviews45 followers
Read
November 27, 2022
袩芯 胁械褉褏邪褏, 邪谢械 胁谢褍褔薪芯 褨 蟹 锌褉邪胁懈谢褜薪芯褞 谐褉芯屑邪写褟薪褋褜泻芯褞 锌芯蟹懈褑褨褦褞. 袣薪懈卸泻邪 褔褍写芯胁芯 胁褨写褨谐褉邪褦 褉芯谢褜 entry level 泻芯薪褌械薪褌褍, 锌谢褞褋 胁 泻褨薪褑褨 邪胁褌芯褉 写斜邪泄谢懈胁芯 锌芯谢懈褕懈胁 锌械褉械谢褨泻 斜褨谢褜褕 薪褨褕械胁懈褏 褉芯斜褨褌 写谢褟 谐谢懈斜褕芯谐芯 蟹邪薪褍褉械薪薪褟. 袙 褑褨谢芯屑褍, 褑械 薪械锌芯谐邪薪懈泄 械泻褋锌褉械褋 泻褍褉褋 写谢褟 褌懈褏, 褏褌芯 胁 芯褋褌邪薪薪褨泄 褉邪蟹 胁褨写泻褉懈胁邪胁 锌褨写褉褍褔薪懈泻 蟹 褨褋褌芯褉褨褩 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 褖械 胁 褕泻芯谢褨.
Profile Image for Mary.
77 reviews19 followers
March 12, 2023
In the latter part of 2022, I read: 鈥楾he History of Ukraine and Russia: The Tangled History That Led to Crisis鈥�. I鈥檓 jolly glad I did.

I鈥檓 bashing the books (History of Europe) just now: the university insist on such things. They can be so demanding. I decided, the girl can only read so much and picked up something completely THE SAME. I鈥檓 jolly glad I did.

What a corker! I ain鈥檛 one to wax lyrical over poetic prose, the magic of the word-play. This 鈥� I was hooked by before I鈥檇 finished page one.

A cumulation of short stories that provide us with a history of an extraordinary country, culture and people. Told in, my nescient view, a most entertaining and engrossing fashion.

I said, in my review of 鈥楾he History of Ukraine and 鈥︹€�, 鈥淚f you want to understand why things are as they are in Ukraine today, read this.鈥�

I shall say the same again.

When I started this journey into the books, I did have this 鈥榣ittle dream鈥� of one day being recognised as an Historian. Naaa, I ain鈥檛 the slightest chance of standing beside people such as Professor Serhii Plokhy (the author), a Ukrainian. An Historian.

They say, 鈥淯kraine is a country largely forgotten by the West.鈥� That was true of me.

I don鈥檛 want to get political, I鈥檓 far too busy bashing the books, but 鈥� maybe one of the few good things that will come from what that horrid man did when invading this incredible country is that we in the West will learn more of the monumental place Ukraine claims in the history of Europe.

Thank you, Professor Plokhy. I did so enjoy reading your book.
Profile Image for Ilonka Sheleshko.
123 reviews4 followers
May 11, 2023
薪邪褋锌褉邪胁写褨 锌芯 胁褉邪卸械薪薪褟褏 薪邪 4.5猸愶笍 屑邪斜褍褌褜 斜褨谢褜褕械 褔械褉械蟹 褌械, 褖芯 胁褋械 卸 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 写芯斜褉械 锌邪屑鈥櫻徰傂靶恍� 褨 斜邪谐邪褌芯 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褑褨褩 斜褍谢芯 锌褉芯褋褌芯 锌芯胁褌芯褉械薪薪褟屑

褑褟 泻薪懈卸泻邪 屑邪泻褋懈屑邪谢褜薪芯 胁邪褉褌邪, 褖芯斜 褩褩 褔懈褌邪褌懈 写谢褟 芯蟹薪邪泄芯屑谢械薪薪褟 褨蟹 褨褋褌芯褉褨褦褞 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 ( 邪斜芯 卸 褩褩 锌芯胁褌芯褉械薪薪褟) 褟泻 褨 写谢褟 褍泻褉邪褩薪褑褨胁, 褌邪泻 褨 写谢褟 褨薪芯蟹械屑褑褨胁.
褌邪泻褨 泻薪懈卸泻懈 褏芯褉芯褕褨 写谢褟 褌芯谐芯, 褖芯斜 蟹 褌械锌械褉褨褕薪褜芯褩 锌械褉褋锌械泻褌懈胁懈 锌芯斜邪褔懈褌懈 褋褏芯卸芯褋褌褨 褋褜芯谐芯写械薪薪褟 褨蟹 屑懈薪褍谢懈屑 褨 胁泻芯褌褉械 胁懈谐褍泻薪褍褌懈 鈥� 芦邪 褌邪泻械 胁卸械 斜褍谢芯禄. 邪谢械 芯褌 褌褨谢褜泻懈 褌械锌械褉 斜邪卸邪薪芯, 褖芯斜 薪械 褌褨谢褜泻懈 胁懈谐褍泻薪褍褌懈, 邪 褖械 泄 蟹屑褨薪懈褌懈 锌芯泻懈 褦 蟹屑芯谐邪:)

褔懈褌邪泄褌械! 芯斜芯胁鈥櫻徯沸盒拘残�!
1,901 reviews105 followers
April 2, 2022
This is an overview of nearly 3,000 years of history of the geographical region that is currently known as Ukraine. I should have been taking notes because the constant shifting of territorial borders, of ruling peoples, of names for places and the introduction of countless historical figures that I had never heard before left my head spinning.
Profile Image for Randall Wallace.
663 reviews578 followers
March 19, 2022
Ukraine is the size of France, and in the 18th century it was ruled from St. Petersburg, Vienna, Warsaw and Istanbul. Ruthenians are early Ukrainians. Cossacks were quintessential Ukrainians. Goths were of German stock, Huns came from Mongolia; the Huns were gone by the mid-sixth century replaced by Turkic tribes. The Slavs made slaves of their prisoners. Kyiv (Kiev) shows up before the sixth century. Slavs, then agriculturalists, settle Ukrainian territory before the 10th century. Rus Vikings came first as traders, there was little to steal in Ukrainian forests back then. Building Kyiv was an attempt to reproduce Constantinople on the Dnieper. In the 10th and 11th centuries, the terms Slav and Rus were interchangeable. Slowly the area became Christianized after Volodymyr鈥檚 conversion. Cyrillic鈥檚 job is to translate Christian texts into Slavic languages. Yaroslav builds the Cathedral of Saint Sophia. Then comes Kyivan Rus which lasts until the Mongol invasion of Kyiv on December 7th, 1240. The Mongols turn back the clock on the area with Pax Mongolica. The Mongols rule Russia more harshly than Ukraine. Still, it took centuries for Kyiv to recover. The Mongols never tried to change the faith of Rus princes. Alexander Nevsky became famous as a defender of Rus lands.

Ivan III was the first Moscovite ruler to call himself tsar and he declared independence from the Horde and invaded Ukraine. US liberals would have condemned that Russian invasion but for the fact that the US wouldn鈥檛 exist for another three hundred years. Ukraine begins its role as a food producer for Europe. A Ukrainian becomes the wife of Sulieman the Magnificent. Cossacks were originally nomads who preyed on merchants. Alexander I became emperor of Russia and tsar of Poland. Galician Ukrainians called themselves Ruthenians. In 1848, Hungarians demanded independence from the Hapsburg Empire. Then the Poles wanted freedom. Alexander II makes it illegal to perform Ukrainian theatre or songs. Both Polish and Ukrainian nationalism is repressed.

Russia loses the Crimean War to the British and French. Britain and France wanted to dominate the Mediterranean by force and Russia was in their way with Russia鈥檚 warm water port at Sevastopol. Russia sells Alaska to get money to hold on to the Crimea and develop railways. The railways helped Russia to regain its right to a Sevastopol navy after French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. By mid-nineteenth century, forced-labor became the technique for the cash-strapped empire. Yalta became the summer capital of the empire. Even Chekhov had a house in Yalta. 鈥淯kraine accounted for 75 percent of all exports of the Russian Empire.鈥� Foreigners helped develop the Ukrainian south. Before the Russian Revolution, foreign companies controlled the 50% of Ukrainian steel, and most of its pig iron, coal and machinery. In 1905, Ukrainian became legal as a language again. It was a bright time for Ukrainian nationalism and Ukrainian clubs appeared. Ukraine鈥檚 blue and yellow comes from Galicia where they had been part of its coat of arms. Just before the Russian Revolution, Ukraine had both de jure and de facto independence from Russia. But by 1919, Ukrainian statehood was no longer possible. Trotsky was a native of the Ukraine. Think of the right bank of the Dnieper as agricultural while the left bank had the industrial areas.

Stalin鈥檚 Holodomor famine killed off 4 million in Ukraine starting in 1932. Stalin鈥檚 Great Purge went from 1936 to 1940. The Not-So-Great Purges of Karen Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Calista Flockhart, and Mary-Kate Olsen happened much later. The Ukraine became 鈥渁 model of Soviet industrialization and collectivization鈥� for Stalin, once all the deaths and underlying sadism were ignored.

Ukraine was Hitler鈥檚 Lebensraum centerpiece. Hitler knew that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918) recognized that Ukraine was independent of Russia. His plan was kill everyone up to the Volga and then fill that void with German colonists (a plan Hitler took from the time-tested US settler-colonial technique for odiously killing/removing its native population). Babi Yar in Ukraine outside of Kyiv, was where the first attempt in Europe to mass exterminate Jews happened. The first to die at Auschwitz by Zyklon-B were actually Soviet POW鈥檚 (September 1941). 鈥淯kraine under German occupation became a large-scale model of a concentration camp.鈥� Ukrainians who tried to assist Jewish people were not only executed but often their families as well. Germans left the collective farms intact so the exploitation could continue under a different master 鈥渆xtracting resources from the local population鈥�. Ukrainians were almost 80% of all Ostarbeiter taken by Nazis from occupied land. 鈥淭he Holocaust eradicated most of Ukrainian Jewry. WWII鈥檚 end showed Ukraine with 15% more territory, but 7 million citizens had died, and 10 million no longer had a roof over their head.

Stalin dies in 1953. He had relied on people from the Caucasus, while Khrushchev would rely on people from Ukraine. Although, Crimea becomes part of Ukraine, Crimea is actually 71% Russian and 22% Ukrainian. Khrushchev is a believer in communism and believes religion will have to be extinguished before communism arrives in the USSR. Funny how Lenin and even Khrushchev clearly stated that communism was never achieved in the USSR, while US Cold War liberals still comically believe the hype (without evidence) that we were always fighting present Soviet communism and NEVER potentially future Soviet communism. I guess that is because Truman knew you can鈥檛 get the public to rabidly want war with (USSR) State Capitalism because it sounds way too much like regular US bipartisan Capitalism. As Serhii writes, 鈥淜hrushchev鈥檚 promise to the Soviet people that they would live under communism never materialized.鈥� Gorbachev takes power in 1985 and Chernobyl (only seventy miles north of Kyiv) happens in 1986. Chernobyl鈥檚 radiation was the equivalent of five hundred Hiroshima bombs. The contamination zone was larger than Belgium. It was a disaster for the forests of Northern Ukraine. But Chernobyl did waken Ukraine.

The first Maidan (Ukrainian word for square) was considered to be October 1990, the second was in 2004 and the third in 2013 and 2014. Think of Ukrainian independence attempts after Kyivan Rus, as first 1918 in Kyiv and Lviv, second 1939 in Transcarpathia, and third 1941 in Lviv. Then comes the real deal in 1991, when Ukrainians went to the polls to vote their future. 90% wanted independence. One week after Ukrainian citizens voted for independence, the Soviet Union was dissolved; as Yeltsin explained, without Ukraine, Russia would be simply 鈥渙utnumbered and outvoted by the Muslim Republics鈥�. Gorbachev鈥檚 resignation speech marked the end of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine鈥檚 performance after leaving the Soviet Union was a remarkably bad, industrial production fell 48%, GDP fell 60%, half the population had barely the money to buy their food, and three million citizens left the country. The industrial sector, largely steel, had relied on Russian natural gas supplies. Ukrainian runaway inflation reached 2,500% in 1992. What an ad for capitalism. This book makes no attempt to explain why Ukraine went so fast downhill. Russians are 48% of Ukraine鈥檚 Donetsk population. President Yanukovych was the last Ukrainian President sympathetic to Russians within the Ukraine. Russia annexed the Crimea in March 2014.This book talks about the loss of the Crimea and Donbas but makes no attempt to explain the conflict. In 2019, Zelensky takes over the Ukraine Presidency.

The author writes the Russian annexation of the Crimea is simply 鈥渦nprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine which threatened the foundations of international order.鈥� That鈥檚 pretty funny as the author already told us the Crimea is 71% Russian so why on earth would Russia want connection with a place that is 71% Russian. Apparently, the US war crimes in invading 50 countries since WWII (56 US military interventions just in Latin America) or Saudi bombing of Yemen or Israel鈥檚 actions have laughably done nothing to threaten 鈥渢he foundations of international order.鈥� This book fell apart once it hit 2014, instead, I鈥檇 recommend readers instead read the much better Ukraine books: 鈥淏orderland鈥� by Anna Reid, 鈥淯kraine in Crisis鈥�, by Nicolai Petro, 鈥淯kraine in the Crossfire鈥� by Chris Kaspar de Ploeg, and 鈥淔lashpoint in the Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WWIII鈥� by Stephen Lendman. Noam Chomsky & Chris Hedges have recently addressed this subject too.

Good luck finding in this book any mention of the US orchestrated coup in Ukraine in 2014, the role of Victoria Nuland, or Ukrainian Nazis in power anywhere in the Ukraine, even the Azov Battalion, and God forbid the author tell the reader how (as Noam tells us) Bush/Baker once promised Gorbachev to not move NATO one inch to the left, and then since the US has been intentionally provocative by encircling Russia closer and closer with new fawning NATO servants always ready to do any US bidding. Why pray tell, even have NATO once the USSR fell? The author also won鈥檛 give the reader a clue that Ukraine merely adhering to the Minsk II agreements, prudently promising future neutrality with NATO, and a degree of freedom for the Russian Dombas region would have kept Putin鈥檚 recent clear war crime invasion from happening. Remember when Diplomacy, and the art of trying to consider your opponent鈥檚 concerns and grievances before fisticuffs, was still considered a good idea? At any rate, I did learn some stuff.
Profile Image for Anvar.
26 reviews32 followers
January 22, 2018
袨写薪邪 蟹 薪邪泄泻褉邪褖懈褏 泻薪懈谐. 袉 褑褨泻邪胁邪, 褨 写懈薪邪屑褨褔薪邪, 泄 褨薪褎芯褉屑邪褌懈胁薪邪, 蟹斜邪谢邪薪褋芯胁邪薪邪. 孝械锌械褉 褏芯褔 屑邪褞 褑褨谢褨褋薪械 褍褟胁谢械薪薪褟 锌褉芯 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 校泻褉邪褩薪懈 褌邪 小褏褨写薪芯锟斤拷 袆胁褉芯锌懈.
Profile Image for Nestor Rychtyckyj.
170 reviews2 followers
May 2, 2016
鈥淭he Gates of Europe鈥� is a well-timed and excellent book that shows once again that history repeats itself and how it relates to the present. Ukraine is in the headlines as it fights to protect itself from yet another invasion from Russia. As Serhii Plokhy points out in this book 鈥� this invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine is just another in a long list of Russian attacks on the very existence of Ukraine that goes back hundreds of years.
This book is more than just a history of Ukraine and its people 鈥� it鈥檚 also describes the language, culture and religion of people who have been under some type of foreign domination for most of its history. Plokhy paints a picture of Ukraine through the centuries with its beginnings as Kyiv-Rus in the 10th century and takes us on a journey through time through the Cossak Hetmanat in the 17th century to the formation of Ukraine as an independent nation. In many ways, the Ukrainian people had to endure a litany of horrors culminating in the Holodomor (famine) of 1932-1933 when millions of Ukrainians died of starvation directly caused by Stalin. The Ukrainian independence of 1918 and 1919 did not last long and the proclamation of independence in 1941 was crashed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Russia. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought into the mid 1950s against the Soviets and independence finally came when the Soviet Union collapsed. That independence is again being threatened by Putin who seeks to rebuild the Soviet Union again. This ongoing battle will go long way in seeing if Europe is going to be dragged into a future where armed invasions of neighboring countries becomes the norm.
Ukrainian history is not simple, but the book does a great job in describing the differences in religion, culture, nationalities and language within one country. The constant re-alignment of borders requires a whole set of maps to show exactly how Ukraine came to be. I places it may be difficult to follow all of the nuances that impacted the past, but the book is well worth reading just to understand what is happening now in Eastern Ukraine and why it is so significant for Europe and the world.
Profile Image for Aleksandr Voinov.
Author听75 books2,484 followers
April 12, 2022
I bought this book to gain some much-needed background information on Ukraine (considering what's currently going on), and the author certainly provides an overview of Ukrainian history - for that, three stars. The problem is that historiography, ie the writing and telling of history, is not just about the facts or dates or context - I can't fault the author for any of that, he did his job. The problem is that the style and delivery are really boring; there's almost no colour, quotes, or really anecdotes that would bring the topic (a whole country with a rich history) to life.

I'm passionate about history and don't mind scholarly tomes, but this book proved to be a slog. I finished it only because it felt virtuous and worthy. Another consideration is that the author makes a strong argument for Ukraine's separate (from Russia) identity, with is a counter-argument to Russian propaganda focused on Novorossia/New Russia, and he succeeds in that. Meanwhile, he fails to deliver context on controversial figures such as Stepan Bandera. Going by this book, I know he existed and was important, but there's no context or insight given at all.

All in all, I'm glad I read it, I'm better informed, lots of stuff is still missing, and I'm not ever going to read this again.
Profile Image for Micah Cummins.
215 reviews308 followers
July 5, 2022
I鈥檓 going to spend some time with this one in my mind today, and I鈥檒l write up a review once I feel that I have the best possible thoughts to put down for it.
Profile Image for Ron.
Author听1 book159 followers
October 23, 2024
Vladimir Lenin himself spelled out the 鈥渓esson of 1919鈥� for his followers. According to Lenin, the Bolsheviks had neglected the nationality question.
Probably has ten times the detail most first-time readers desire, but enough depth to satisfy those seeking to really understand who, what, where and why Ukraine is headline news. Detailed history of a people many Americans knew only as part of the Evil Empire that tried to break free. Good Job.
The more Rus鈥� became Christian, the more it turned Slavic as well.
Starts at the beginning and keeps going. Warts and all. First published in 2015 and updated in 2020. Plokhy is Ukrainian, a historian, and a teacher. He ought to know what he鈥檚 talking about and how to communicate it. And does.
Ukrainians probably have just as much right to brag about their role in changing the world as Scots and other nationalities about which books have been written asserting their claim to have shaped the course of human history.
The reader will feel time and again, the Ukrainians just can鈥檛 get a break. Though released prior to Putin鈥檚 latest invasion, Plokhy is not surprised. Readers should not be either.
Whatever the outcome of the current Ukraine Crisis, on its resolution depends not only the future of Ukraine but also that of relations between Europe鈥檚 east and west鈥擱ussia and the European Union鈥攁nd thus the future of Europe as a whole.
Profile Image for Red.
221 reviews3 followers
May 5, 2022
Wow! This is such a good overview of the history of Ukraine. Covers from the earliest roots back in Greek times and the links to the mythologies of the Amazons. The overarching thought of this book is Russia never wants to not control them. From medieval times to the modern conflict. Covers all the way to current times with the Crimea incident. Stalin systemically starved millions of Ukrainians to death to control the country. Ukraine has a strange place in Europe's history and because their are so many different people living their who accept being more than one nationality. The author points out the problem with this, and asks how long can you last as a nation when you claim loyalties to more than one culture and country. Overall a fantastic book and moves quickly and is not a "dry" history read. I hope the best for the Ukrainian people.
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