Formation of Ukrainian society and the analysis of crucial transformations: The history of Ukraine from 1991 to the present

It sounds ironic, but this course is possible only now when the social changes in Ukraine over the past thirty-odd years have led to Russian aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine has dramatically ceased to be a "grey area" for the world and has found subjectivity with its voice.

Although it sometimes seems that for many researchers and journalists, the primary interest is in the radical changes in Russia as a condition for peace and stability on the world stage. Nevertheless, it is evident that for Russia, establishing a civil society in Ukraine and choosing a pro-European political course has become a challenge and an obstacle to realizing its ambitions.

After the breaking of the Soviet Union in December 1991 and the vote for Independent Ukraine by 90% population, it started searching the national identity and ways of political development in its historical roots. Some political streams considered Ukraine the heiress of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, which automatically belong to a conglomeration of Union Independent States initiated by the Russian Federation. The other political groups took into account the historically permanently occupied status of Ukraine by Russian Imperia and further by the Soviet Union, making attempts to reanimate the ideology of Ukrainian statehood developed at the beginning of the XX century. Until the Orange Revolution of 2004, Ukraine tried to balance pro-west and pro-Russian political orientations. The culmination became the political race between Yushchenko and Yanukovich, electoral fraud that led to the protests and defending the choice of European integration. However, deep economic and energy dependency from Russia and business and political links on a personal level did not bring success in this attempt. In the next elections, Yanukovych won.

Nevertheless, Ukraine came again to a crossroads: democracy values with economic loss while the association process with the EU, or financial stability with political stagnation when turning to RF. The Revolution of Dignity in 2014 showed the choice of the Ukrainian people. Since then, Ukraine changed two presidents and has followed a pro-European course, defending the right of national independent development, despite the annexation of Crimea, Russian initiating hostilities in Donbas, and the further full invasion of Russia in Ukraine.

With its modern history, Ukraine has raised many issues about:

- the subjectivity of developing countries, including their right and chances for self-determination and sovereignty;

- the political risks and responsibilities toward countries have supported the way of democratization and social reforms;

- the issue of security and the boundaries between alliances, countries, and cultures;

- the role of fear and hope as drivers of political and social decision-making;

- how collective identity shapes by the process of external endangerment and internal rethinking;

- the power of civil society in times of revolutions and wars. 

This course invites us to emerge into Ukrainian history since 1991, from the deep crisis of the 1990s, and the political turmoil of the 2000s, to the appreciation of freedom of self-determination and the willingness to defend it even with a price of life.

Übung

Montags, 12 Uhr c.t. - 14 Uhr

Erste Sitzung:
09.10.2023

Letzte Sitzung:
29.01.2024

Adenauerallee 4-6, 53113 Bonn
Raum 3.010

Literatur

In Bearbeitung!

In Bearbeitung!


Wird geladen