print this page

History

Western Ukraine lies at the center of the prehistoric Slav homeland. From here later generations migrated outwards to settle in Eastern Europe, Russia and the Balkans. The Slav tribes remained disunited until the expansion of the Scandinavian peoples sent Vikings across the Baltic to the river systems of Belarus and down the Dniepro to the Black Sea.

In the ninth century, at the hills of Kyiv, the Scandinavians organized the local tribes to form the Varangian (Vikings) princedom of Kyivan Rus. Situated at the meeting point of two great trade routes, the Varangian (north to south) and the Silk Road (east to west), Kyivan Rus developed into a considerable European state. But the coming of the Mongol hoards in the 13th century ended independence and in the following centuries Ukraine was controlled and divided between Poland, Lithuania-Poland and the Austrian Empire.

In 1654, central and eastern Ukraine became part of the Muscovite empire to where many Ukrainians had previously migrated during the Mongol invasions. Taking their language and religion with them they had influenced the development of the princedom of Muscovy, which in 1621 became known by the Ukrainian name of Russia.

In this way Ukraine became a province of the Tsarist Empire and the Russian language was imposed. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was incorporated into the Russian Orthodox Church and ruled by the Moscow Patriarch.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was progressively taken over by Moscow and forcibly converted to Orthodoxy. Western Ukraine (Galicia or Halychyna) remained under either Polish or Austrian rule and the Greek Catholic Church there maintained its independence though the Poles attempted to Latinize it.

In the 19th century the attempts at Russianization gave rise to Ukrainian resistance and activists were deported to Siberia. This stimulated the growth of the Ukrainian Nationalist movement. The collapse of the Tsarist government in 1917 led to the formation of a Ukrainian government and temporary Ukrainian independence. Victory in the civil war by the Red Army ended Ukrainian independence and led to repression of the Ukrainian nationality.

As agricultural collectivization was enforced, resistance to Stalinism increased. Millions of people were either deported or starved to death and as many as five million died in the winter of 1932-33 alone. The ensuing terror of the 1930s also hit Ukraine badly when many Ukrainian members of the communist party and state employees were murdered. During this period religion was severely persecuted. But the Greek Catholics, who by this time were concentrated mainly in western Ukraine, survived, though the newly reunited Poland attempted to impose its Latin tradition.

Following the end of the Second World War, western Ukraine was united with the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and religious and political repression began. The Greek Catholic Church went underground in spite of mass deportations and the murder of many clergy and laity. All the Catholic bishops died at the hands of the Soviets.

Although Glasnost was slow to take effect in Ukraine because of the resistance of the local head of the Communist party, it too began to open up religion and politics after 1989. Strong nationalist opposition movements developed until in July 1990 the Ukrainian Supreme Soviet adopted a declaration of sovereignty. After the failure of the attempted coup d’etat in Moscow in August 1991, Ukraine adopted a declaration of total independence. This date, August 24th, is now celebrated as Ukrainian independence day.