Ukraine The History and Legacy of Uk..., Charles River Editors
Ukraine The History and Legacy of Uk..., Charles River Editors
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Ukraine: The History and Legacy of Ukraine from the Middle Ages to Today

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: David Pickering

Unabridged: 3 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/02/2020


Synopsis

The history of Ukraine is a fascinating story of how cultures, political systems, religions, and power have met, intersected, morphed, and expanded. The region was relatively sparsely populated for much of ancient history, a wilderness of rivers, forests, and steppes, but that does not detract from the rich historical development of the region. A huge area, Ukraine is wedged between the continents of Asia and Europe, and its position as a crossroads ensured there was fierce competition for influence there. Historians have called the formation of Ukraine the “establishment of a unity among three zones…the ports of Crimea and the coast, the rich steppe heartland, and the forests,” based around the themes of “geography, ecology and culture.” Today’s Ukraine is a huge country, incorporating an area over 600,000 square kilometers and home to 42 million people. It stretches from the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea in the south to Belarus in the north, Russia to the east, and Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west. The Dnieper River is the region’s key waterway, running into the Black Sea, while the Danube Delta also forms its border with modern-day Romania to the southwest. A steppe exists in the middle of the country while the Carpathian Mountains feature in the west. This geographical formation has influenced some of the country’s key historical developments, as well as the location of its major settlements. Kiev (known today as Kyiv) is, of course, the longstanding capital of the country, located on the Dnieper River in the central northern part of modern Ukraine. Lviv is another large city, located in the northwest near the border with Poland. Odessa is a seaside city on the Black Sea in Ukraine’s southwest, while Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk are major cities in the country’s east, close to the Russian border. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kamran

Very sketchy but being so brief; it gives an idea of the beginning of the history of Ukraine, it's relation to Russia and the role it plays in the context of Russian policy. Ukraine holds an important status im the eyes of Russians & they see it as an inoperable part of the Rus culture. That's one of......more

Goodreads review by Dan

Kind of a brief Cliff's notes, not an actual study.......more

Goodreads review by Franzi

A good overview and start to getting into Ukraine history. At times, I wished for a more engaging narrative, it was really flat at times.......more

Goodreads review by Maria

Very brief intro to Ukrainian history.......more