Ukraine is the largest state in Europe. Although some historians claim that the country is the cradle of European culture and has been around for centuries, this is not true. The formation of Ukraine as a state actually took place 23 years ago. This is a young country that is just learning to live independently, without anyone's support. Of course, Ukraine has its own centuries-old history, but still there is no mention of the country as a full-fledged state. Scythians, Sarmatians, Turkic peoples, Russians, Cossacks once lived on this territory. All of them somehow influenced the development of the country.
Ancient history
We need to start with the fact that the word "Ukraine" in translation from Old Russian means "outskirts", that is, no man's land, borderland. These territories were also called the "wild field". The first mention of the Black Sea steppes dates back to the 7th century BC, when the Scythians settled there. In the Old Testament theyare described as an unmerciful and cruel nomadic people. In 339 BC. e. the Scythians were defeated in a battle with Philip of Macedon, this was the beginning of their end.
For four centuries the Black Sea region was dominated by the Sarmatians. These were kindred nomadic tribes who migrated from the Lower Volga region. In the 2nd century A. D. e. The Sarmatians were pushed back by the Turkic peoples. In the 7th century, Slavs began to settle on the banks of the Dnieper, who at that time were called Rusichs. That is why the lands they occupied were called Kievan Rus. Some researchers argue that the formation of Ukraine as a state took place in 1187. This is not entirely true. At that time, only the term "Ukraine" appeared, it meant nothing more than the outskirts of Kievan Rus.
Tatar raids
At one time, the lands of modern Ukraine were subjected to raids by the Crimean Tatars. The Russians tried to master the rich, fertile lands of the Great Steppe, but constant robberies and murders did not allow them to complete their plans. For many centuries, the Tatars posed a great threat to the Slavs. Huge territories remained uninhabited only for the reason that they were adjacent to the Crimea. The Tatars carried out raids because they needed to somehow support their own economy. They were engaged in cattle breeding, but it did not give a big profit. The Tatars robbed their Slavic neighbors, took young and he althy people prisoner, then exchanging slaves for finished Turkish products. Volhynia, Kiev region and Galicia suffered the most from the Tatar raids.
Settlement of fertile lands
Grain growers and landowners were well aware of the benefits that could be derived from fertile free territories. Despite the fact that there was a threat of an attack by the Tatars, rich people appropriated the steppes, built settlements, thus attracting peasants to themselves. The landowners had their own army, thanks to which they maintained order and discipline in the territories they controlled. They provided the peasants with land for use, and in return they demanded the payment of dues. The grain trade brought untold we alth to the Polish magnates. The most famous were Koretsky, Pototsky, Vishnevetsky, Konetspolsky. While the Slavs worked in the fields, the Poles lived in luxurious palaces, basking in we alth.
The period of the Cossacks
The freedom-loving Cossacks, who began to populate the free steppes at the end of the 15th century, sometimes thought of creating a state. Ukraine could be a haven for robbers and vagabonds, because it was they who originally inhabited this territory. People who wanted to be free came to the deserted outskirts, so the bulk of the Cossacks were farm laborers who were running away from pan slavery. Also, townspeople and priests came here in search of a better life. Among the Cossacks there were people of noble origin, they were mainly looking for adventure and, of course, we alth.
Vatagi consisted of Russians, Poles, Belarusians and even Tatars, they accepted absolutely everyone. Initially, these were the most common robber gangs that robbed the Tatars andTurks lived on stolen goods. Over time, they began to build sichs - fortified camps, in which a military garrison was always on duty. They returned there from campaigns.
Some historians believe that 1552 is the year Ukraine was formed as a state. In fact, at that time, the famous Zaporizhian Sich arose, which Ukrainians are so proud of. But it was not the prototype of the modern state. In 1552, the Cossack gangs were united, and their fort was built on the island of Malaya Khortitsa. All this was done by Vishnevetsky.
Although initially the Cossacks were ordinary robbers who robbed the Turks for their own benefit, over time they began to protect the settlements of the Slavs from the raids of the Tatars, freed fellow countrymen from captivity. To Turkey, this freedom-loving brethren seemed like a punishment from heaven. The Cossacks on their seagulls (long, narrow boats) silently swam up to the shores of the enemy country and suddenly attacked the strongest fortifications.
The State of Ukraine wanted to create one of the most famous hetmans - Bohdan Khmelnitsky. This ataman waged a grueling struggle with the Polish army, dreaming of the independence and freedom of all fellow countrymen. Khmelnitsky understood that he alone could not cope with the Western enemy, so he found a patron in the person of the Moscow Tsar. Of course, after that, the bloodshed in Ukraine ended, but it never became independent.
Fall of Tsarism
The emergence of Ukraine as a state would have been possible immediately after the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty from the throne. Unfortunately, the localpoliticians did not have enough strength, intelligence, and most importantly - solidarity to bring their plan to the end and make their country independent. Kyiv learned about the fall of tsarism on March 13, 1917. In just a few days, Ukrainian politicians created the Central Rada, but ideological limitations and inexperience in such matters prevented them from holding power in their hands.
According to some reports, the formation of Ukraine as a state took place on November 22, 1917. It was on this day that the Central Rada promulgated the Third Universal, proclaiming itself the highest authority. True, at that time she had not yet decided to break all ties with Russia, so Ukraine temporarily became an autonomous republic. Perhaps such caution by politicians was unnecessary. Two months later, the Central Rada decided to form a state. Ukraine was proclaimed an independent and completely independent country from Russia.
Interaction with Austrians and Germans
The period when Ukraine appeared as a state was not easy. For this reason, the Central Rada was forced to ask for support and protection from European countries. On February 18, 1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed, according to which Ukraine was supposed to carry out mass deliveries of food to Europe, and in return received recognition of independence and military support.
The Austrians and Germans sent troops into the territory of the state in a short period of time. Unfortunately, Ukraine could not fulfill its part of the terms of the agreement, so at the end of April 1918 the Central Rada was dissolved. 29April, Pavel Skoropadsky began to rule the country. The formation of Ukraine as a state was given to the people with great difficulty. The trouble is that there were no good rulers in the country who could defend the independence of the territories under their control. Skoropadsky did not last even a year in power. Already on December 14, 1918, he fled in disgrace along with the allied German troops. Ukraine was left to be torn to pieces, European countries did not recognize its independence and did not provide support.
The coming to power of the Bolsheviks
The beginning of the 1920s brought a lot of grief to Ukrainian homes. The Bolsheviks created a system of tough economic measures to somehow stop the collapse of the economy and save the newly formed state. Ukraine suffered the most from the so-called “war communism”, because its territories were a source of agricultural products. Accompanied by armed detachments, officials went around the villages and took grain from the peasants by force. It got to the point that freshly baked bread was taken from the houses. Naturally, such an atmosphere did not contribute to an increase in agricultural production, the peasants simply refused to work.
The drought was added to all the misfortunes. The famine of 1921-1922 claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. The government was well aware that it was not advisable to use the whip method further. Therefore, the law on the NEP (New Economic Policy) was adopted. Thanks to him, by 1927, the area of cultivated land had increased by 10%. ATthis period marks the present formation of the state. Ukraine is slowly forgetting about the horrors of the civil war, famine, dispossession. Prosperity is returning to the homes of Ukrainians, so they begin to treat the Bolsheviks more condescendingly.
Voluntarily-compulsory entry into the USSR
At the end of 1922, Moscow thought about the unification of Russia, Belarus and the Transcaucasian republics to create more stable ties. Until the time when Ukraine was formed as a state, there were some seven decades left. On December 30, 1922, representatives of all Soviet republics approved the plan for unification, thus the USSR was created.
Theoretically, any of the republics had the right to withdraw from the union, but for this it had to obtain the consent of the Communist Party. In practice, gaining independence was very difficult. The party was centralized and controlled from Moscow. Ukraine in terms of area occupied the second place among all the republics. The city of Kharkov was chosen as the capital. Answering the question about when Ukraine was formed as a state, it should be noted the 20s of the twentieth century, because it was then that the country acquired territorial and administrative borders.
Renewal and development of the country
The first five-year plan breathed life into Ukraine. During this time, 400 new enterprises appeared, the country accounted for about 20% of all capital investments. In 1932, the Dnepropetrovsk hydroelectric power station was built, which at that time became the largest in Europe. Thanks to the work of workersthe Kharkov Tractor Plant, the Zaporozhye Metallurgical Plant, and many Donbas factories appeared. In a short time, a huge number of economic transformations have been made. In order to improve discipline and increase efficiency, competitions were introduced for the early implementation of the plan. The government singled out the best workers and awarded them the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
Ukraine during World War II
In the period 1941-1945. Millions of people died in the country. Most Ukrainians fought on the side of the Soviet Union, but this does not apply to Western Ukraine. In this territory other moods prevailed. According to the militants of the OUN, the divisions of the SS "Galicia", Ukraine was supposed to become independent from Moscow. The history of the formation of the state could be completely different if the Nazis still won. It is hard to believe that the Germans would have given Ukraine independence, but nevertheless, with promises, they managed to win over about 220,000 Ukrainians to their side. Even after the end of the war, these militias continued to exist.
Life after Stalin
The death of the Soviet leader brought with it a new life for millions of people living in the USSR. The new ruler was Nikita Khrushchev, who was closely connected with Ukraine and, of course, patronized it. During his reign, she reached a new level of development. It was thanks to Khrushchev that Ukraine received the Crimean peninsula. How the state arose is another matter,but it was in the Soviet Union that it formed its administrative-territorial borders.
Then Leonid Brezhnev came to power, also a native of Ukraine. After the short reign of Andropov and Chernenko, Mikhail Gorbachev took the helm. It was he who decided to radically change the stagnant economy and the Soviet system as a whole. Gorbachev had to overcome the conservatism of society and the party. Mikhail Sergeevich always called for publicity and tried to be closer to the people. People began to feel freer, but still, even under Gorbachev, the communists completely controlled the army, police, agriculture, industry, the KGB, followed the media.
Independence
The date of formation of Ukraine as a state is known to all - this is August 24, 1991. But what preceded this momentous event? On March 17, 1991, a poll was held, thanks to which it became clear that Ukrainians are not at all against sovereignty, the main thing is that it does not subsequently worsen their living conditions. The Communists tried in every possible way to keep power in their hands, but it inevitably eluded them.
On August 19, 1991, the reactionaries isolated Mikhail Gorbachev in the Crimea, while in Moscow they themselves tried to seize the initiative by declaring a state of emergency and forming the State Emergency Committee. But the communists failed. On August 24, 1991, when Ukraine appeared as a state, the Verkhovna Rada declared the independence of the country. And after 5 days, the activity of the Communist Party was banned by Parliament. On December 1 of the same year, Ukrainians supported the Act of Independence in a referendum andelected their first president, Leonid Kravchuk.
For many years, the formation of Ukraine as a state took place. The map of the country changed frequently. Many territories were annexed in the Soviet Union, this applies to Western Ukraine, part of the Odessa region and Crimea. The main task of Ukrainians is to preserve modern administrative-territorial borders. True, it is difficult to do so. Thus, in 2009, the third president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, gave part of the continental shelf to Romania. And in 2014, Ukraine also lost its pearl - the Crimean peninsula, which passed to Russia. Whether the country will be able to keep its territories intact and remain independent, only time will tell.
