General History Notes
Purpose
These are my notes on the history of Ukraine. The goal is to provide a comprehensive account of the development of the region and its people up until the full-scale invasion of 2022. The material is organized into 20 chapters, complemented by additional notes.
These notes are simply a synthesis of existing material, they are not academic work and shouldn't be regarded as such. They are simply a detailed breakdown of the history as I see it, which I wanted to share with others. Mistakes may exist, and the responsibility for them is mine alone.
If you have any questions, issues or feedback about the content, you can contact me on my Substack Account or on my Bluesky account.
For a visual experience look at the Historical Timeline. (WiP)
For a look at important persons visit #Significantpersons
Chapters
- 1_Path to Kyivan Rus: Traces Ukraine’s early history and the formation of the Kyivan Rus state.
- 2_Fall of the Kyivan Rus: Examines the fragmentation and decline of Kyivan Rus.
- 3_Mongol Incursion: Details the Mongol invasion of Rus lands and the varied responses of different principalities.
- 4_Polish_Lithuanian Rule: Explores the incorporation of Rus territories into Poland and Lithuania and their political interplay.
- 5_Cossacks: Follows the rise of the Cossack social class and its conflicts with surrounding powers.
- 6_Religious Interlude: Discusses the evolution of Orthodoxy during the Cossack period.
- 7_Hetmanate: Covers the establishment of the Hetmanate and its early ties with the Russian Empire.
- 8_Downfall of the Hetmanate: Analyzes the decline of the Hetmanate amid imperial competition.
- 9_Empire and Enlightenment: Describes Russian imperial control over Ukrainian lands and expansion through the partitions of Poland.
- 10_Birth of Nationalism: Tracks the spread of nationalism after Napoleon and its impact on Ukraine.
- 11_Habsburg Ukraine: Examines the growth of Ukrainian national identity within the Habsburg Empire, in comparison with developments in the Russian Empire.
- 12_Industrial Developments: Outlines the effects of the industrial revolution on Ukrainian territories.
- 13_Prelude to Chaos: Reviews Ukraine’s political trajectory leading up to World War I.
- 14_A New Nation: Explores Ukraine’s experience in World War I and the immediate aftermath.
- 15_Interwar Years: Studies the treatment of Ukrainian lands under different regimes in the interwar period, with focus on Soviet policies.
- 16_Between Hitler and Stalin: Covers Ukraine’s experience under both Nazi and Soviet domination during World War II.
- 17_Ukraine in the Soviet Union: Surveys Ukraine’s position and development within the Soviet Union.
- 18_Collapse of the Soviet Union: Details the disintegration of the USSR and its consequences for Ukraine.
- 19_Independence and Divergence: Analyzes Ukraine’s post-1991 trajectory and its divergence from Russia.
- 19_Problematic Divorce: Focuses on the complexities of Russo-Ukrainian relations.
- 20_Contact with Europe: Examines Ukraine’s engagement with the West after independence.
- 21_Fighting for Freedom: Chronicles Russian aggression against Ukraine in the 21st century.
Accompanying Material
These are exports from the PDFs I annotated, included here as supplementary material. You can find all of them under the "Document Notes" heading or the #Docs tag.
Credit
This project draws heavily on the works of Serhii Plokhy. The main references are The Gates of Europe and The Russo-Ukrainian War, alongside other supporting materials.
The main sources I used besides the cited books are:
The notes were compiled using Obsidian and published using Digital Garden.