Ukraine: A History

Nature has been generous to Ukraine; history has not. Because of its natural riches and accessibility from ancient past to modern times, Ukraine, perhaps more than any other country in Europe, has experienced devastating foreign invasions and conquests. Consequently, foreign domination and the struggle against it is a paramount theme in its history. Orest Subtelny surveys Ukraine's history from the earliest to contemporary times. He explores the five main periods of Ukrainian history -- Kievan Rus', the Polish-Lithuanian period, the Cossack era, Ukraine under imperial rule, and Ukraine in the twentieth century -- portraying each in terms of its social, economics, and cultural aspects, as well as its political history. Much attention is devoted to modern times, and to Ukrainian communities abroad. Played out in a vast, open, and richly endowed stage, Ukraine's history is long, colorful, and unusually turbulent. "Ukraine" is a clear, concise, and dispassionate exploration of that complex history. -- From publisher's description.