Background:
Ukraine was the center of the first Slavic state, Kievan Rus, which
during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful
state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol
invasions, Kievan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The cultural and religious legacy of Kievan Rus laid the foundation
for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new
Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the
mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite
continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain
autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the
18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by
the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in
1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of
independence (1917-1920), but was reconquered and forced to endure a
brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22
and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German
and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more
deaths. Although independence was achieved in 1991 with the
dissolution of the USSR, true freedom remains elusive, as many of
the former Soviet elite remain entrenched, stalling efforts at
economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.