{"product_id":"the-ukrainians-unexpected-nation-9780300083552","title":"The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs in many postcommunist states  politics in Ukraine revolves around the issue of national identity. Ukrainian nationalists see themselves as one of the worlds oldest and most civilized peoples  as older brothers to the younger Russian culture.Yet Ukraine became independent only in 1991  and Ukrainians often feel like a minority in their own country  where Russian is still the main language heard on the streets of the capital  Kiev. This book is a comprehensive guide to modern Ukraine and to the versions of its past propagated by both Russians and Ukrainians. Andrew Wilson provides the most acute  informed  and up-to-date account available of the Ukrainians and their country.  Concentrating on the complex relation between Ukraine and Russia  the book begins with the myth of common origin in the early medieval era  then looks closely at the Ukrainian experience under the tsars and Soviets  the experience of minorities in the country  and the path to independence in 1991. Wilson also considers the history of Ukraine since 1991 and the continuing disputes over identity  culture  and religion. He examines the economic collapse under the first president  Leonid Kravchuk  and the attempts at recovery under his successor  Leonid Kuchma. Wilson explores the conflicts in Ukrainian society between the countrys Eurasian roots and its Western aspirations  as well as the significance of the presidential election of November 1999.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648077127733,"sku":"ByrdShop_0300083556","price":49.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780300083552.jpg?v=1781708751","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-ukrainians-unexpected-nation-9780300083552","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}