Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus,
which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state
in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kievan Rus was
incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus
laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A
new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th
century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite
pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years.
During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic
territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist
Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of
independence (1917-20), but was re-conquered and forced to endure a brutal
Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in
which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were
responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for
Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy
remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled
efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass
protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities
to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally
monitored vote that swept into power a reformist state under Viktor YUSHCHENKO.
The new government presents its citizens with hope that the country may at last
attain true freedom and prosperity.
