History

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Building up Ukraine as a sovereign state was a continuous process.

Some historians consider Cimmerians, nomads that occupied plains near the Black Sea, as the first inhabitants of the south of Ukraine. In IIV BC they were pushed out by the Scythian tribes. Later when Scythian state collapsed, sarmats iran-speaking nomadic tribes came. In III-IV CE eastern Slavonic tribes occupied forests, and forestry plains. And in IIV CE territory from areas of mixed forests to the Black Sea and from Don to Carpathian Mountains was inhabited by the Slavonic tribe of ants. The starting point for the Ukrainian history is IV CE, before that Ukrainian are only mentioned as the part of Slavonic tribes.

Approximately around VIII-IX CE Slavonic tribes united in the Kiev’s Russ.

After Tatar-Mongolian invasion in the Kiev’s Russ, Ukrainian sovereignty was held on the West of the country. It was ruled by The Duke Danyla of Galitsyna and Volyn. Never the less in the middle of XIV CE Ukrainian state fell apart, and its lands became dominions of Lithuania and later got into Polish are of influence. At the end of XV CE Zaporizska Sich arrived – Kazaks’ republic, which was ruled by hetmans elected by the majority. Zaporizska Sich became the centre of struggle against polish nobles. By the XIIV CE this struggle grew in a full scale self liberating war leaded by the Bogdan Khmelnitsky, what resulted in renaissance of Ukrainian state. Striving to save the sovereignty of Ukraine pushed Kmelnirsky into the alliance with Moskovia, what was in the long run lethal for the Ukraine. Moscow signed a pact with Poland by wich Ukraine was divided by the banks of Dnepr: Moscow acquired left bank with Kiev, Poland got the right bank.

In the XVIII the west of Ukraine became the part of Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the Revolution of 1917 chaos in Russia allowed Ukrainian people to unite and create a Ukrainian state. On the 7-th of November 1917 Ukrainian Peoples Republic was proclaimed in which controlled central and eastern Ukraine. As a response on the 25-th of December 1917 in Kharkov, the first Ukrainian congress of Soviets was held. It proclaimed Ukraine as a Soviet republic. In 13-th of November 1918 in Lvov patriotic democratic parties proclaimed Western Ukrainian Peoples Republic. On the 22-th of January 1918, under the ancient symbols the trident and yellow and blue flag took place the union of Ukrainian Peoples Republic and Western Ukrainian Peoples Republic. But again Ukrainian government was not able to defend Ukrainian independence. With the help of Russian army Bolsheviks took over eastern Ukraine and in 1922 it became part of just created Soviet Union. Western Ukraine became polish.

WWII

In 1939 according to secret pact between Germany and USSR Poland was divided, and western Ukraine entered the Soviet Union and united with eastern Ukraine to become the part Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic. In 1940 Romania returned Northern Bukovina and South Bessarabia, and they became the part of the USSR.

WWII obliterated the country. All territory of the Ukraine was under fascist occupation. 714 cities and 28000 villages were destroyed, the were rebuilt at the end of 40th and beginning of 50th.

According to the treaty between USSR and Czechoslovakia some areas near Carpathian became the part of Ukraine. Also considering tight economical, geographical and historical connections Crimea was added to the territory of Ukraine in 1954. That was the final stage of forming modern territory of Ukraine. At the moment Ukraine consists of 24 administrative districts and Autonomic Republic of Crimea.

Perestroika

Assigning of M.S. Gorbachov on the position of the General Secretary in 1985, resulted in significant political changes, particularly in Ukraine. Freedom of speech allowed fill in blanks in Ukrainian history, increasing political freedom allowed to rehabilitate dissident groups and to create nationalistic-oriented cultural organizations.

One of the key moments in social life became creation in the late 1989 of “Ruh” movement and removing from its position V.V. Shcherbitski. In 1990 former secretary of USSR L.M.Kravchuk was appointed a chairman of cosmetically renewed parliament. It included 25% representatives of democratic and nationalistic movements, elected on partially democratic elections of 1990. On the 16-th of Jul Ukraine declared independence. On the 21st of November Ukraine and Russia signed a pact of sovereignty.

Independence

After unsuccessful attempt of mutiny on the 24th of August 1991 Ukraine declared independence. National referendum election was carried out and 90% of population supported the declaration of independence.

Read about history of Ukraine on Wikipedia

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