The Ukrainians, New Edition
- Author Andrew Wilson
- Narrator Stefan Rudnicki
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date 18 October 2022
- Run Time 22 hours and 2 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre European history, General and world history.
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What to expect
Now in its fifth edition, this book is the most acute, informed, and up-to-date account available today of Ukraine and its people. This new edition includes two new chapters covering 2014 to the present war.
Andrew Wilson focuses on the complex relations between Ukraine and Russia and explains the different versions of the past propagated by Ukrainians and Russians. He also examines the continuing debates over identity, culture, and religion in Ukraine since its independence in 1991.
As in many postcommunist states, politics in Ukraine revolves around the issue of national identity. Ukrainian nationalists see themselves as one of the world’s oldest and most civilized peoples, as “older brothers” to the younger Russian culture. Yet Ukraine became independent only in 1991, and Ukrainians often feel like a minority in their own country, where Russian is still the main language heard on the streets of the capital, Kiev.
This book is a comprehensive guide to modern Ukraine and to the versions of its past propagated by both Russians and Ukrainians. Andrew Wilson provides the most acute, informed, and up-to-date account available of the Ukrainians and their country.Concentrating on the complex relation between Ukraine and Russia, the book begins with the myth of common origin in the early medieval era, then looks closely at the Ukrainian experience under the tsars and Soviets, the experience of minorities in the country, and the path to independence in 1991.
Wilson also considers the history of Ukraine since 1991 and the continuing disputes over identity, culture, and religion. He examines the economic collapse under the first president, Leonid Kravchuk, and the attempts at recovery under his successor, Leonid Kuchma. Wilson explores the conflicts in Ukrainian society between the country’s Eurasian roots and its Western aspirations, as well as the significance of the presidential election of November 1999.
Critics Review
“A very readable, well-organized study…An informative introduction to a complex subject.”
“An interesting and provocative read, which will, one hopes, contribute to the Western understanding of what Ukraine is and why it matters.”
“An exceptional history, the kind that supplies not pat answers but food for thought within a lush context of documented and mythological past.”
“A spirited and eminently learned investigation of who Ukranians say that they are, how they came to be so, and how others view them.”
“A fresh, objective look at Ukrainian identity, which explores the many past and present possibilities that continue to confront this ‘unexpected nation’.”
“Compelling and highly original.”
“A shrewd and perceptive observer of all things Ukraine.”
“Andrew Wilson’s work demystifies and explains Europe’s least-known country, at a time when it is fighting for its survival against Russia.”
“A lively, detailed, and eminently sensible exploration of who the Ukrainians are and why they are important, and it should become required reading for anyone with a serious interest in Eastern Europe.”
“[Wilson] weaves his story from an ambitious blending of political, religious, and cultural history…And he argues for the importance of Ukraine’s safe passage to secure nationhood.”
“Expect the unexpected in this compelling and highly original reinterpretation of Ukraine’s past and present.”
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