BOOK NOTES: A history of independent Ukrainian state (02/20/05)

BOOK NOTES

A history of independent Ukrainian state

"Nation-Building in the Independent Ukraine" by Stanislav Kulchytsky. New York: Ukrainian American Association of University Professors, 2003. 188 pp. $20.

"Nation-Building in the Independent Ukraine" by Stanislav Kulchytsky provides a history of the independent Ukrainian state. The book examines three major aspects of the transformation period: the emergence of a market economy, the establishment of a democratic system and the creation of civil society institutions.

Usually, socio-political specialists rather than historians, analyze such recent events. However, Prof. Kulchytsky takes a unique approach, combining history and political science. This combination, according to the author, allows for a clearer understanding of the relationship between the past and present.

The author begins with a chapter on the historical place of Ukrainian statehood in the Soviet Union, then moving to the creation of the independent Ukrainian state, the development of the Constitution, market reforms and recent political battles. The book also contains chapters analyzing various aspects of the Ukrainian state, such as its stance toward integration with the West and its political and socio-economic status.

More than an accounting of the events of history, "Nation-Building" analyzes the nature and causes of the events described in the book. Prof. Kulchytsky, for instance, holds that much of the opposition to the Soviet regime was based on ideological rather than nationalistic grounds, despite theories to the contrary. As a result, he places less emphasis on the actions of nationalistic organizations in the period leading up to Ukraine's declaration of independence. He maintains that the independence movement was not a revolution driven by nationalism, despite the fact that national consciousness had been on the rise for some time among Ukrainian Communists.

In his conclusion, while assessing the effects of communism on Ukraine and the transition to a democratic system, Prof. Kulchytsky argues, "The hardships of the transition period should by no means be identified with the market economy problems per se or with the shortcomings of a democratic system. They are, rather, a legacy from the totalitarian past." He continues, "Ever so slowly, we are overcoming the distance separating us from our Western neighbors. ... The Ukrainian state is gradually asserting itself as an equal partner among the European nations."

Much of the text of "Nation-Building" comes from articles by Prof. Kulchytsky that originally appeared in the Ukrainian Historical Journal, but were revised for publication in book form. Prof. Kulchytsky writes that the articles stemmed from a need to update Orest Subtelny's "Ukraine: A History." "Although Dr. Subtelny's book "played an immensely positive role" and was an "eye opener," according to Prof. Kulchytsky, it utilized too few primary archival sources and needed an updated section on recent Ukrainian events.

Prof. Kulchytsky is doctor of historical sciences, professor and deputy director of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. He has twice been named a laureate of the Peter Jacyk Educational Foundation at the University of Alberta. In 2001 President Leonid Kuchma awarded him the Order of Merit Third Degree for his considerable personal contribution to the development of scholarship in the country, for setting up schools of science and for strengthening the scientific and technological potential of Ukraine." Prof. Kulchytsky is also a deputy editor of the Ukrainian Historical Journal.

The book is available for $20 from the Ukrainian American Association of University Professors (UAAUP), P.O. Box 491, Kent, OH 44240; telephone/fax, (330) 630-3857.

| Home Page |