BRIEF HISTORY: IMPORTANT FACTS
The history of the country is very ancient. People settled here in
the early Paleolithic age. Big settlements of Trypillia culture appeared
some centuries B.C. and in 7th century A.D. Scythian tribes established
their state at this territory. Kievan Rus appeared here some centuries later
on. Kievan Rus was a great state uniting East Slavonic tribes on
the territory from Baltic to Black Sea and from Volga river to Tisza river.
The name "Ukraine" as a geographical notion to mark the boarders
of Rus was introduced in chronicles since XII century.
Ruling of the Great Prince Vladimir and Prince Yaroslav the Wise
was the golden age of Kievan Rus. In 988-89, the Great Prince Vladimir introduced
Christianity in Kievan Rus. These times the population in Kyiv was
50 thousand inhabitants (compare: the population of London was 20 thousand
people). There were 400 churches, 8 markets, etc. Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery,
the main hearth of Christianity and church art, was founded in the year
of 1051.
In XII-XIII centuries, as a result of wars between local princes and under
the pressure of Mongol and Tartar invasion, Kievan Rus collapsed.
Part of its lands became the ownership of Moscow Princedom and the Great
Princedom of Lithuania. In XIII-XIV centuries Galytsko-Volynske Principality
was established at the West of Ukraine.
Zaporizka Sich greatly contributed to the development of Ukraine
as a state and played very important role in the history of Ukrainian people.
Appearance of Ukraine at the political map of Europe was a result of the
continuous struggle for independence and the victory in the national liberation
war of 1648-1654. Hetmans of the Ukrainian Cossacks - Petro Sahaidachnyi,
Bogdan Khmelnytskyi, Ivan Mazepa were the outstanding politicians of this
historical period. The union concluded with Russia in 1654, in Pereyaslav,
made Ukraine dependent on Russia for a long time.
In the second half of XIX century P.Kulish creates the Ukrainian Grammar
- "kulishivka". This grammar became the basis for the modern orthography;
ethnographer P.Chubynskyi writes the words of the National Anthem of Ukraine
(1862); M.Grushevskyi works out the Ukrainian scientific language and historical
concept aimed to define political direction for the supporters of Ukraine's
independence.
Revolutionary processes in February and October 1917 have ruined the
Russian Empire. During the Civil War in Ukraine (1917-1920) Bolsheviks
took the full power in their hands and the Ukrainian government was reorganized
in accordance to the Soviet model. Hundreds of plants, destroyed by the
First World War and Civil War, were revived during the years of reconstruction.
This process took Ukraine to the level of developed industrial countries.
But at the same time the 30s were a true tragedy in the history of Ukraine.
Moscow government in the persons of Stalin, Kaganovych, Molotov, Postyshev
followed a policy, which resulted into agrarian crisis and hunger in 1932-1933
(by different sources 3 to 10 million people died, mainly in East Ukraine).
Huge losses in manpower were also caused by violent collectivization, great
terror of 1937-1938, the Second World War and by post-war repression.
On August 24 1991, Ukraine proclaimed its independence, and during
the referendum held on December 1 of the same year, the Ukrainian people
confirmed their choice of independent development by saying "yes" to it.
Leonid Kravchuk was elected the first president of a newly independent Ukraine;
in 1994, he lost the election to Leonid Kuchma who was re-elected in 1999.
Ukraine faced a multitude of very difficult tasks which had to be
solved within a short period of time: a new political system had to be built;
new statehood principles based on law had to be introduced; a new system
of national security and defence had to be created; new relations with other
countries of the world had to be established - Ukraine wanted from the
very start to be into the European and world community; social, economic
and ecological reforms had to be carried out; the nuclear weapons were to
be scrapped. The enormity of all these large-scale, time, labour and finance
consuming tasks was further exacerbated by the multiple crises the country
was living through - economic, political and psychological.
In 1996 a new constitution was adopted; the runaway inflation, which
was endemic in the former Soviet Union, was curbed and the national currency,
hryvnya, was launched.
Ukraine was the first among the post-soviet countries to establish working relations with the European Union. A charter was signed with NATO in 1997. Over the years, Ukraine sent its peacekeepers to the Balkans; it was a guarantor of peace in Moldova; Ukraine is a member of the Council of Europe and of the Security Council of the United Nations Organization.
At present, Ukraine is a presidential-parliamentary republic. Verkhovna
Rada - "Supreme Council" - is made up of 450 "deputies" who are elected
for a 4-year term. In the spring of 2002, the fourth parliamentary elections
were held in Ukraine. Considerable political changes in the distribution
of political power occurred, with six major political forces entering parliament.
Last November (2004)/December (2005), huge opposition protests took
place in Ukraine against the official results of the country's second round
presidential elections, forcing new elections on 26 December. This 'Orange
Revolution' was led by Viktor Yuschenko against the November 'winner',
Viktor Yanukovych. On 11 January the Electoral Commission announced that
Yushchenko won, with 51.99%, against 44.2% for Yanukovych.
How the crisis envolved.
23 January: Viktor Yushchenko is sworn in as Ukraine's new president
ending the bruising election marathon. In taking the oath of office before
parliament, Mr Yushchenko said he would defend the unity of Ukraine.
20 January: Supreme Court rejects Mr Yanukovych's final appeal against
the result of the re-run election and declares Mr Yushchenko the winner.
Parliament votes to hold Mr Yushchenko's inauguration on 23 January.
Mr Yanukovych concedes he has lost the election re-run to Mr Yushchenko, telling supporters in his Donetsk stronghold: "The right of force has won against the force of the law."
18 January: A ban on publication of the presidential election results
is lifted by the Supreme Court - allowing them to be published in newspapers
on 20 January, making them legal.
17 January: Supreme Court starts hearing Mr Yanukovych's final appeal
after he submitted 600 volumes of evidence indicating irregularities in
the re-run election. All his previous appeals have been rejected.
16 January: Thousands of demonstrators rally in Mr Yanukovych's home
town, Donetsk, and elsewhere to condemn Mr Yushchenko's "anti-constitutional"
election.
11 January: Electoral commission declares Mr Yushchenko the official
winner of the re-run presidential election with 51.99% of the vote. Mr Yanukovych
gets 44.2%, but continues the legal battle.
6 January: Supreme Court rejects an appeal by Mr Yanukovych against
the electoral commission's handling of the poll. The ex-prime minister had
wanted the court to make the commission re-examine complaints about the
election.
5 January: Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma accepts Mr Yanukovych's
resignation as prime minister.
31 December: Mr Yanukovych resigns as prime minister, saying he cannot
work with people loyal to Mr Yushchenko.
30 December: Supreme Court rejects all four complaints against the
conduct of the presidential election lodged by Mr Yanukovych. The Central
Election Commission also rejects his appeal over the vote.
27 December: With nearly all votes counted Mr Yushchenko's lead becomes
unassailable, but Mr Yanukovych says he will never concede defeat, claiming
election abuses.
26 December: The third and decisive round of the presidential poll
proceeds smoothly. As the counting begins, it appears that Mr Yushchenko
is set to win.
25 December: Constitutional Court strikes down reform restricting
home voting; election officials say vote will proceed regardless.
24 December: Campaigning ends at midnight, with both candidates saying
they are confident of victory.
20 December: The two rivals accuse each other of electoral fraud,
in a live TV debate ahead of the poll re-run.
11 December: Mr Yushchenko's Vienna doctors confirm after exhaustive
tests that he was poisoned with a form of deadly dioxin.
9 December: Government employees return to work after opposition
demonstrators scale down their protest in Kiev.
8 December: Parliament passes a wide-ranging reform bill, paving
the way for a 26 December re-run of the disputed presidential election.
3 December: The Supreme Court annuls the results of the second round
of the elections, paving the way for fresh elections.
2 December: Crisis talks to try to find a solution to the deadlock
continue as parties await the decision of the Supreme Court.
1 December: Parliament narrowly passes a motion of no-confidence
in the government on the second attempt, prompting opposition fireworks
in Kiev, but Mr Yanukovych dismisses the vote as illegal. Mr Yushchenko
agrees to lift a blockade on government buildings but asks supporters to
remain on the streets.
30 November: Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma - who backed Mr Yanukovych
during the election campaign - says only fresh elections can resolve the
stand-off.
29 November: The Supreme Court begins considering allegations of
electoral abuses. Mr Yanukovych says he might accept vote re-runs in certain
disputed areas.
28 November: Eastern regions threaten to secede if Mr Yushchenko
is declared president.
27 November: Parliamentary deputies declare the poll invalid and
pass a symbolic, non-binding vote of no-confidence in the electoral commission.
Rival protests backing Mr Yanukovych are held in his stronghold of Donetsk.
26 November: Mr Yanukovych and Mr Yushchenko hold talks and agree
to seek peaceful solution. Mr Yushchenko demands a re-run of the vote.
Meanwhile, Mr Yushchenko's supporters lay siege to government buildings.
25 November: The Supreme Court suspends publication of the results
while it examines the case, after the opposition appeals.
24 November: The official results are published, giving Mr Yanukovych
49.46% and Mr Yushchenko 46.61%. 22 November: The Central Electoral Commission
declares Mr Yanukovych the winner. But Mr Yushchenko's supporters reject
the result and gather in Kiev amid claims of vote-rigging. In the following
days the protests build, despite sub-zero temperatures.
21 November: The second round of voting takes place after an interim
period of rising tensions.
31 October: Voting in the presidential election gives Mr Yushchenko
a small lead of just 0.5% against Mr Yanukovych and triggers a second-round
ballot.
But Western poll observers complain of serious irregularities and say the poll failed to meet international standards.
The vote follows a bitter election campaign marked by allegations of assassination attempts, media bias and intimidation.
Written with the materials of:
www.kmu.gov.ua - Government portal
www.ukraine-gateway.org.ua - Ukraine Gateway
www.wumag.kiev.ua - Welcome to Ukraine
news.bbc.co.uk - BBC NEWS
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| COMPANY NEWS | 18-11-2008
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