Ukraine After The Soviet Union

For much of its history, Ukraine had been under the control of larger powers. Before and during WWI, parts of modern Ukraine were under the control of the Russian Empire and other parts were under the control of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There were multiple attempts at independence during the

It started in 1920 when Ukraine tried to break away from the Soviet Union, but it was unsuccessful because Stalin wouldn’t let them. Stalin then at the end of the 1920s, wanted to shut down Ukraine’s autonomy. He does so by having individuals arrested, sent to prison, and even executed (Sebag, 2008). Ukraine used to be the bread basket of Russia. That was until Stalin and his crew took over and held over ¾ of Ukraine hostage. While he was having people imprisoned and executed, he also ordered the collectivization of agriculture. Most of Ukraine were peasants and farmers. The majority of these people owned a good amount of land, and some even owned livestock. There were people who were against collectivization. These people were called Kulaks, which are rich peasants. Thousands of people were thrown out of their homes and even deported. (Bohdan, 2013)

In 2014, Russia captured the Crimea and Sevastopol, and unfurled tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine border. This is where the conflict flashed between pro-Russian separatists and the new government in Kiev. Russia's actions, including reported military aid for separatist troops, mark a serious major threat to generally accepted principles of world order, such as, sovereignty and

Labor camps, executions, and starvation killed millions of Ukrainians. "The Ukrainian genocide remains largely unknown. After 76 years, the blood of the victims still cries for truth, and the guilt of the perpetrators for exposure”." Ukraine was the last place anyone would have expected a famine. Ukraine was known for their various foods and supply. "The Ukraine is the richest province of the Russian empire.... The soil is a black loam.... I think I have never seen such deep plowing as these peasants give their ground." who would have thought that in just a matter of time millions of people would die of starvation in Ukraine because of one man's orders. (Perloff,

Russia has built a strong, but stagnating economy on several natural resources to include the refinery and export of natural gas and oil. According to the Jim Picht (2014) exportation of natural gas and oil to Eastern Europe account for 70 percent of Russia’s exports and 53 percent of the government’s revenue. Along with exporting oil to Eastern Europe, Russia also exports too many countries to include China and Belarus. Europe fueled majority by Russian supplied natural gas and oil, the dependency of Europe’s need for this natural resource is the reason Russia’s economy is so strong. In 2014, when Russia decided to invade the neighboring country of Ukraine has led Europe to begin searching for other suppliers of their natural resources. If Europe finds other countries to supply the natural resources

Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, most post-Soviet satellite states began making the transition to become liberal democracies. However, the transition from communist governments to democratic governments was not necessarily a smooth one for most of the Eastern European countries. Decades of oppressive Soviet rule and deep-rooted communist parties made ties to the Soviet Union especially hard to cut. Ukraine, in particular, struggled mightily to break away from the Russian communists, and that struggle is still continuing today. In the form of a corrupt government and pro-Russian supporters in South and Eastern Ukraine, roadblocks were created on the Ukrainian road to democracy that they are still trying to maneuver.

The Soviet Union was a socialist state located on the Eurasian continent, which existed from 1922 to 1991. It was a conglomeration of a number of subnational Soviet republics with its government and economy centralized. The Soviet Union was based on a one-party system under the governorship of the Communist Party, with Moscow as its capital. Since the decline of the Soviet Union, Russia has been on the forefront seeking to bring about a resurgence of the socialist state. Current political events in Europe and in particular, those that revolve around Russia, demonstrate efforts directed towards reviving the Soviet Union. In more than one occasion, news releases have alleged that Vladimir Putin has plans underway to reignite the Soviet Union gradually and that the annexation of Crimea is evidence of this. In an article, journalist Adam Withnall noted that “…Vladimir Putin will not stop trying to expand Russia until he has “conquered” Belarus, the Baltic states and Finland,” (para. 1). Thus, there is increased tension in countries around the region, which was initially considered as being part of the Soviet Union. In truth, the Ukrainian revolution is demonstrative of Russia’s attempt to reignite the Soviet Union following the acquisition of Crimea, which will result to limiting the influence and expansion of NATO and the United States in Europe. Thus, Russia’s motivation to expand her influence

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, former Soviet republics have been forced to undertake the harrowing task of achieving stability for their citizens and developing their own identities independent from the former hegemon. Some, such as Poland, have been successful in this regard, while others, such as Georgia, have been less fortunate. For Ukraine, a vast agricultural country with centuries-old ties to Russia, answers to the questions of stability and identity have been uncertain ones. In spring 2014, following the Ukrainian Revolution in which pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was deposed and replaced by Olexander Turchnyov, Russian forces invaded Crimea after signing an accession treaty on March 18. Throughout the year, this conflict escalated with violence between pro-Russian militants along with Russian forces and Ukrainian military and thousands of deaths. The violence in Crimea, where Russians have an ethnic majority of 58%, and eastern Ukraine began to dissipate in late September when Russian military commenced a withdrawal from Ukraine. The violence intensified again in early November when pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine held new elections supported by Russia and denounced by Ukraine, the United States, and the European Union. This is an issue that has vast economic repercussions for powerful eurozone countries such as Germany, whose GDP growth rate fell to 0.4% in the second quarter, and who has 300,000 jobs that rely on Russian

The Cold War grew to be a tremendous global conflict. On the other hand, The Ukraine crisis was an internal conflict that stayed fairly contained to the Ukraine. Although the US and Russia did get involved in the nation's policies and internal fights, the conflict did not reach nearly as far as the Cold War did. The Ukraine did reach out to countries close by in search of methods to wean off of Russia’s support and distance themselves from Russia entirely, but little was actually done during those endeavors (“EU Signs Pacts”). Most conflicts remained within the Ukrainian borders and did not reach as large of a scale and impact as the Cold War

In 1918, Ukraine declares its independence at the end of World war one says the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). During 1921, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) established as the Russian Red Army conquers two-thirds of Ukraine while the western third becomes part of independent Poland. Before WWII, the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with the Nazis. This established the division of Eastern Europe among the two powers (German-Soviet Pact).On September 1, 1939, the attack on Poland by Adolf Hitler automatically breaking the pact (Worldwide News Ukraine). In the midst of World War II, Ukraine suffered a terrible wartime loss as the Nazis occupied the country until 1944 (BBC). This left more than 5 million Ukrainian casualties due to fighting Nazi Germany (BBC). Due to a popular misconception, the Soviet Union is not Russia (or vice versa). Ukraine is a part of the Soviet Union, along with other smaller European countries. The Soviet Union won World War II, but it left their economy in the ruins. “Roughly a quarter of the country’s capital resources had been destroyed and industrial and agricultural output

At the end of World War I, Ukraine “enjoyed” a brief period of independence as a result of the 1917 Russian Revolution; unfortunately, this period lacked cohesive leadership as a result of competing Ukranian factions. Ukraine ultimately joined the Soviet Union in 1922, bringing more stability to the region. Ten years later, however, 10 million Ukrainians died as a result of the Holodomor, an orchestrated famine by Joseph Stalin.

Soviet Union/Russia – The Mikhail Gorbachev Government, in 1991, banned the currency note of Ruble 50 and 100 in Soviet Union in an attempt to end and render valueless the huge amounts of black money that had amassed among the corrupt in the country. The government towards it final moments expected that the implementation of this said plan will decrease the market of black money substantially and give a proper life to common people. The reform failed to halt inflation, and instead served mainly to accelerate a slide in public confidence in the government. As political infighting combined with economic collapse, Gorbachev faced a coup attempt that August which destroyed his authority and led to the Soviet break-up the following year. In the subsequent years however progress in stabilization did not lead to a widely expected rapid expansion of wholesale markets based on the cash Ruble. The share of economic transactions and budget based operations in money surrogates and barter increased sharply despite all efforts by the government towards its prevention, along with specialized non-cash intermediary organizations, a fragmentation of markets, and an elaborate differentiation of prices for the same commodities according to type of transaction. As opposed to the past, when barter prices were commonly decreased below cash prices as a means of tax avoidance, average non-cash prices have become significantly higher than their cash counterparts. This created a problem in the

Thesis: Holodomor was marked by negative relationships between the Soviet Union and Ukraine that would introduce a series of conflicts between the two nations, intensifying political tensions.

Countries, such as Ukraine, remain to this day under heavy Russian influence because of their close geographical location, historical ties, and similar cultures; on the other hand, countries, such as Poland, have been able to maintain complete independence because of the cultural, political, and economic differences with Russia. Numerous factors, such as geopolitics and history, bolster the reasons behind these conclusions. Other factors, such as culture and historical differences, affect the way the countries are associated with Russia.

Background. Ukraine gained independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) August 24, 1991 (Mark, 2016). Slightly smaller in size than Texas, Ukraine is bordered by Poland, Romania, Moldova, the Russian Federation, and the Black Sea. With a population of 44.4 million people it is not a very diverse country with 77% identified as ethnic Ukrainians, 18% ethnic Russian, and 5% other (CIA, 2015). In the last 12 years a relatively young Ukrainian government has suffered from political turmoil and most recently violent instability.