A History of Ukraine

Although the new state of Ukraine came into being only in 1991 as one of many states formed in the wake of the Revolution of 1989, it was hardly a new country. Yet what the world generally knows of Ukraine is often associated with relatively recent tragedies - Chornobyl' in 1986, Babi Yar in 1941, the Great Famine of 1933, and the pogroms of 1919. But there is more to Ukrainian history than tragedy in the modern era and, indeed, more to Ukraine than Ukrainians.

Until now, most histories of Ukraine have been histories of the Ukrainian people. While this book too traces in detail the evolution of the Ukrainians, Paul Robert Magocsi attempts to give judicious treatment also to the other peoples and cultures that developed within the borders of Ukraine, including the Crimean Tatars, Poles, Russians, Germans, Jews, Mennonites, Greeks, and Romanians, all of whom form an essential part of Ukrainian history.

A History ofUkrainehas been designed as a textbook for use by teachers and students in areas such as history, political science, religious history, geography, and Slavic and East European Studies. Presented in ten sections of roughly five chapters each, it proceeds chronologically from the first millennium before the common era to the declaration of Ukrainian independence in 1991. Each section provides a balanced discussion of political, economic, and cultural developments; each chapter ends with a summary of the significant issues discussed. The whole is complemented by forty-two maps, nineteen tables, and sixty-six ‘text inserts’ that feature excerpts from important documents and contemporary descriptions, and vivid explanations of specific events, concepts, and historiographic problems. Students will also benefit from the extensive essay on further reading that provides bibliographic direction for each of the sections in the book.

PAUL ROBERT MAGOCSI, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is a professor of history and political science at the University of Toronto and director of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario. He is the author of several books, including the Historical Atlas of East Central Europe, Ukraine: A Historical Atlas, and Galicia: A Historical Survey and Bibliographic Guide.