Serhy Yekelchyk - Böcker

In 2004 and 2005, striking images from the Ukraine made their way around the world, among them boisterous, orange-clad crowds protesting electoral fraud and the hideously scarred face of a poisoned opposition candidate. Europe's second-largest country but still an immature state only recently independent, Ukraine has become a test case of post-communist democracy, as millions of people in other countries celebrated the protesters' eventual victory.Any attempt to truly understand current events in this vibrant and unsettled land, however, must begin with the Ukraines dramatic history. Ukraine's strategic location between Russia and the West, the country's pronounced cultural regionalism, and the ugly face of post-communist politics are all anchored in Ukraine's complex past.The first Western survey of Ukrainian history to include coverage of the Orange Revolution and its aftermath, this book narrates the deliberate construction of a modern Ukrainian nation, incorporating new Ukrainian scholarship and archival revelations of the post-communist period.Here then is a history of the land where the strategic interests of Russia and the West have long clashed, with reverberations that resonate to this day.

Conventional wisdom dictates that Ukraine's political crises can be traced to the linguistic differences and divided political loyalties that have long fractured the country. However, this theory obscures the true significance of Ukraine's recent civic revolution and the conflict's crucial international dimension. The 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution presented authoritarian powers in Russia with both a democratic and a geopolitical challenge. In reality, political conflict in Ukraine is reflective of global discord, stemming from differing views on state power, civil society, and democracy.Ukraine's sudden prominence in American politics has compounded an already-widespread misunderstanding of what is actually happening in the nation. In the American media, Ukraine has come to signify an inherently corrupt place, rather than a real country struggling in the face of great challenges. Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know® is an updated edition of Serhy Yekelchyk's 2015 publication, The Conflict in Ukraine. It addresses Ukraine's relations with the West, particularly the United States, from the perspective of Ukrainians. The book explains how independent Ukraine fell victim to crony capitalism, how its people rebelled twice in the last two decades in the name of democracy and against corruption, and why Russia reacted so aggressively to the strivings of Ukrainians. Additionally, it looks at what we know about alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, the factors behind the stunning electoral victory of the political novice Volodymyr Zelensky, and the ways in which the events leading to the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump have changed the Russia-Ukraine-US relationship. This volume is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary politics in this increasingly important part of Europe, as well as the international background of the impeachment proceedings in the US.

Conventional wisdom dictates that Ukraine's political crises can be traced to the linguistic differences and divided political loyalties that have long fractured the country. However, this theory obscures the true significance of Ukraine's recent civic revolution and the conflict's crucial international dimension. The 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution presented authoritarian powers in Russia with both a democratic and a geopolitical challenge. In reality, political conflict in Ukraine is reflective of global discord, stemming from differing views on state power, civil society, and democracy.Ukraine's sudden prominence in American politics has compounded an already-widespread misunderstanding of what is actually happening in the nation. In the American media, Ukraine has come to signify an inherently corrupt place, rather than a real country struggling in the face of great challenges. Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know® is an updated edition of Serhy Yekelchyk's 2015 publication, The Conflict in Ukraine. It addresses Ukraine's relations with the West, particularly the United States, from the perspective of Ukrainians. The book explains how independent Ukraine fell victim to crony capitalism, how its people rebelled twice in the last two decades in the name of democracy and against corruption, and why Russia reacted so aggressively to the strivings of Ukrainians. Additionally, it looks at what we know about alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, the factors behind the stunning electoral victory of the political novice Volodymyr Zelensky, and the ways in which the events leading to the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump have changed the Russia-Ukraine-US relationship. This volume is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary politics in this increasingly important part of Europe, as well as the international background of the impeachment proceedings in the US.

An accessible and expansive introduction to Ukraine that addresses the country's relations with the West and Russia, as well as the forces that have shaped contemporary politics and military conflict in this increasingly important area of Europe. Conventional wisdom dictates that Russia's war on Ukraine is rooted in the linguistic differences and divided political loyalties that have long fractured the country. In reality, Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine is reflective of global discord, stemming from differing views on state power, civil society, and democracy. Ukraine's sudden prominence in world politics demands an explanation. Why has Ukraine become a battlefield in this global contest between authoritarianism and democracy? How have Ukrainians developed a massive volunteer movement helping sustain the state and the army? How did the comedian Volodymyr Zelensky grow into a charismatic wartime leader? The Ukraine the reader will discover is a real country struggling in the face of great challenges while giving the world a hope for a better future. In this fully updated third edition of Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Serhy Yekelchyk provides indispensable background on Ukraine's long, fraught relationship with Russia that led to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The book addresses the reasons why Russia denies Ukraine's status as a nation with its own history, language, and sovereign identity, as well as the complex factors behind the corruption and political divisions within Ukraine. Yekelchyk also covers the 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution; the subsequent annexation of the Crimea by Russia; Ukraine's relations with the West, particularly during the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections; the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky; and the strategic dynamics of the current Russo-Ukrainian war between Russia and Ukraine. This volume is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary politics in this increasingly important area of Europe.

An accessible and expansive introduction to Ukraine that addresses the country's relations with the West and Russia, as well as the forces that have shaped contemporary politics and military conflict in this increasingly important area of Europe. Conventional wisdom dictates that Russia's war on Ukraine is rooted in the linguistic differences and divided political loyalties that have long fractured the country. In reality, Vladimir Putin's attack on Ukraine is reflective of global discord, stemming from differing views on state power, civil society, and democracy. Ukraine's sudden prominence in world politics demands an explanation. Why has Ukraine become a battlefield in this global contest between authoritarianism and democracy? How have Ukrainians developed a massive volunteer movement helping sustain the state and the army? How did the comedian Volodymyr Zelensky grow into a charismatic wartime leader? The Ukraine the reader will discover is a real country struggling in the face of great challenges while giving the world a hope for a better future. In this fully updated third edition of Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Serhy Yekelchyk provides indispensable background on Ukraine's long, fraught relationship with Russia that led to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The book addresses the reasons why Russia denies Ukraine's status as a nation with its own history, language, and sovereign identity, as well as the complex factors behind the corruption and political divisions within Ukraine. Yekelchyk also covers the 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution; the subsequent annexation of the Crimea by Russia; Ukraine's relations with the West, particularly during the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections; the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky; and the strategic dynamics of the current Russo-Ukrainian war between Russia and Ukraine. This volume is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the forces that have shaped contemporary politics in this increasingly important area of Europe.

The first study of the everydayness of political life under Stalin, this book examines Soviet citizenship through common practices of expressing Soviet identity in the public space. The Stalinist state understood citizenship as practice, with participation in a set of political rituals and public display of certain "civic emotions" serving as the marker of a person's inclusion in the political world. The state's relations with its citizens were structured by rituals of celebration, thanking, and hatred-rites that required both political awareness and a demonstrable emotional response. Soviet functionaries transmitted this obligation to ordinary citizens through the mechanisms of communal authority (workplace committees, volunteer agitators, and other forms of peer pressure) as much as through brutal state coercion. Yet, the population also often imbued these ceremonies-elections, state holidays, parades, mass rallies, subscriptions to state bonds-with different meanings: as a popular fête, an occasion to get together after work, a chance to purchase goods not available on other days, and even as an opportunity to indulge in some drinking. The people also understood these political rituals as moments of negotiation whereby citizens fulfilling their "patriotic duty " expected the state to reciprocate by providing essential services and basic social welfare. Nearly-universal passive resistance to required attendance casts doubt on recent theories about the mass internalization of communist ideology and the development of "Soviet subjectivities. "The book is set in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv during the last years of World War II and immediate postwar years, the period best demonstrating how formulaic rituals could create space for the people to express their concerns, fears, and prejudices, as well as their eagerness to be viewed as citizens in good standing. By the end of Stalin's rule, a more ossified routine of political participation developed, which persisted until the Soviet Union's collapse.

Three former western Soviet republics - Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova - now find themselves torn between the European Union and the increasingly assertive Russia. This volume examines the foreign and domestic policies of these states with an eye to the lasting legacy of Russian domination and the growing attraction of Europe.

Based on declassified materials from eight Ukrainian and Russian archives, Stalin's Empire of Memory, offers a complex and vivid analysis of the politics of memory under Stalinism. Using the Ukrainian republic as a case study, Serhy Yekelchyk elucidates the intricate interaction between the Kremlin, non-Russian intellectuals, and their audiences.Yekelchyk posits that contemporary representations of the past reflected the USSR's evolution into an empire with a complex hierarchy among its nations. In reality, he argues, the authorities never quite managed to control popular historical imagination or fully reconcile Russia's 'glorious past' with national mythologies of the non-Russian nationalities.Combining archival research with an innovative methodology that links scholarly and political texts with the literary works and artistic images, Stalin's Empire of Memory presents a lucid, readable text that will become a must-have for students, academics, and anyone interested in Russian history.

This bilingual collection of essays celebrates Marko Pavlyshyn's outstanding contribution to the study of modern and contemporary Ukrainian literature and culture. With its many methodological approaches and the variety of periods, authors and texts that it analyzes, the book reflects and builds on Pavlyshyn's willingness to modernize our understanding of Ukrainian literature as an instrument of communication between authors, readers and the nation from the late eighteenth century to the present day. Hopefully these essays will inspire readers and scholars to continue their journey through Ukrainian culture, in a context profoundly marked by the role of literary texts as agents of nation building and social evolution.