North Dakota State Library

Displaying 1 of 1

The gates of Europe : a history of Ukraine

2015

Format:	Book
Author:	Plokhy, Serhii, 1957-, author.
Title:	The gates of Europe : a history of Ukraine / Serhii Plokhy.
Publisher, Date:	New York : Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, 2015. ©2015
Description:	xxiv, 395 pages : maps ; 25 cm
Summary:	Ukraine is currently embroiled in a tense battle with Russia to preserve its economic and political independence. But today's conflict is only the latest in a long history of battles over Ukraine's existence as a sovereign nation. As historian Serhii Plokhy argues in The Gates of Europe, we must examine Ukraine's past in order to understand its fraught present and likely future. Situated between Europe, Russia, and the Asian East, Ukraine was shaped by the empires that have used it as a strategic gateway between East and West -- from the Romans and Ottomans to the Third Reich and the Soviet Union, all have engaged in global fights for supremacy on Ukrainian soil. Each invading army left a lasting mark on the landscape and on the population, making modern Ukraine an amalgam of competing cultures.
Subjects:	Ukraine -- History.
Genre:	History.
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 375-380) and index.
Contents:	Maps -- On the Pontic Frontier -- The edge of the world -- The advent of the Slavs -- Vikings on the Dnieper -- Byzantium North -- The keys to Kyiv -- Pax Mongolica -- The making of Ukraine -- The Cossacks -- Eastern reformations -- The great revolt -- The partitions -- The verdict of Poltava -- The new frontiers -- The books of the Genesis -- The porous border -- On the move -- The unfinished revolution -- The birth of a nation -- A shattered dream -- Communism and nationalism -- Stalin's fortress -- Hitler's Lebensraum -- The victors -- The second Soviet Republic -- Good bye, Lenin! -- The Independence Square -- The price of freedom -- Epilogue: The meanings of history -- Historical timeline -- Who's who in Ukrainian history -- Glossary.
LCCN:	2015015256
ISBN:	9780465050918 (hardcover) 0465050913 (hardcover) (ebook) (ebook)
OCLC:	905686141
System Availability:	1
# System items in:	1
# Local items:	1
# Local items in:	1
Current Holds:	0

Expand All | Collapse All

Availability

Large Cover Image

Trade Reviews

Library Journal Review

At different points in its history the Swedes, Hapsburgs, Vikings, Huns, Mongols, Russians, Germans, Poles, and the Ottoman Empire ruled parts of Ukraine. Plokhy (history, Harvard Univ.; The Last Empire) expertly covers the complicated and dizzying history of Ukraine, starting when Neanderthals first arrived in the area, and discusses what it means to be Ukrainian. The early beginnings of Kyivian-Rus can be difficult to follow, featuring an ever-changing group of players and territory; an included historical time line provides perspective. Religious, linguistic, and cultural influences that impacted the development of Ukrainian identity are explored, as are the devastating famines, atrocious wars, and politics that influenced everything from independence to the Orange Revolution and the recent Revolution of Dignity. VERDICT The timeframe and subjects covered here are extraordinary; although this is more an overall survey than an in-depth resource, students, academics, and readers with a general knowledge of Ukraine will appreciate. Alternatively, chapters can be read independently, allowing those with a strong interest in the subject to focus on a specific era of Ukraine's history.-Zebulin Evelhoch, Central Washington Univ. Lib. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Injecting appropriate nuance and complexity into a single-volume overview of 2,000 years of Ukrainian history is no small task, but Plokhy (The Last Empire), the Mykhailo Hrushevsky professor of Ukrainian history at Harvard University, approaches this charge with dexterity and skill. Plokhy's analysis is a comprehensive narrative, touching upon the myriad factors that figured into the establishment of the Ukrainian state and a Ukrainian national identity. He also introduces readers to the seemingly endless barrage of threats to both of these constructs, from without as well as within. Plokhy's strongest inquiry may well be in his epilogue, where he engages the forces of history at play regarding the most recent bout of political instability gripping Ukraine. He asserts that the Russian "annexation" of Crimea, as well as Russian support of so-called separatist movements crippling the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, are continuations of a centuries-old narrative, the roots of which are evident throughout his discussion of the tenuous historical relationship between the two countries. Though interested readers must look elsewhere for deeper examinations of Ukraine's role in European and world history, Plokhy's work serves as a welcome introduction to Ukraine's ethnic and national history. Maps. Agent: Jill Kneerim, Kneerim, Williams, and Bloom. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Librarian's View

Displaying 1 of 1