Ukraine —Historical development and rise of Odessa
Ukraine has been part of 14 countries over the years. Looking at its historical background, the country cannot be defined as an own entity, as it was part of multiple political entities like the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union and therefore influenced by several cultural and religious backgrounds.
Ancient history until the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth
Before modern time, Ukraine was the home of nomads from Asia and Europe and on the coast of the black sea ancient Romans and Greeks built colonies. Just as recently as the 9th century, the area around the river Dnepr, Kiev was founded by merchants and warriors named Rus. The Rus were a part of the orthodox church and the Byzantine empire and have been seen as Europeans. At the influential peak of the Kiev Empire, it included territories of today’s Belarus, parts of today`s Russia and Ukraine. The empire was a center of commerce between Eastern Sea and Black Sea as well as between Central Europe and Asia. It was finally destroyed by Mongolian warriors in the 13th century. The myth of the Rus serves today as an identical founding symbol for both Russians and Ukrainians. [3]
Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and liberation by Cossacks
After the Mongolian invasion, the territory of today`s Ukraine was a part of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth between 14th and 18th century where it became a part of the catholic church. The dependence on the west brought influences like humanism, renaissance and even reformation. Germans and Jews began to populate Ukrainian territory. [4] Those influences, very obviously displayed by the western city of Levy, are a reason that parts of the Ukrainian population feel a historical connection to central Europe and the EU. [5]
1648 Cossack warriors liberated a substantial part of Ukraine from the Polish commonwealth and founded the so-called Hetmanate. Many farmer’s serfdom had been abolished and Jews as well as Polish ethnicities were prosecuted. To hold the territory of the Hetmanate, the Cossack`s had to subordinate to the Russian empire. After several wars, the area east of the river Dnepr became part of the Russian empire and the western part remained in Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth. The Hetmanate was liquidized by the Russians after the Cossacks federalized with the Swedish commonwealth. In the national identity of Ukrainians, the Cossacks, perceived as brave and freedom driven, remain an important subject and are mentioned in the national anthem. [6]
Ukraine as a part of the Russian empire — the rise of Odessa
In the following years of 18th and 19th century, western areas in Ukraine became part of the Russian Empire and Tsarina Catherine the Great founded the city of Odessa to manifest the power of the empire at the Black Dea. The city was mainly influenced by foreigners like Greek, Italians, Spanish or Jews.
In times of industrialization, the territory of Ukraine was heavily dominated by Russian influences and cities were mainly inhabited by Jews, Russians, Polish and Russianized Ukrainians. Ukraine was not accepted as a country or a territory with its own heritage, the language was prohibited and national treasures destroyed. After riots and pogrom against Jews in 1905, a regional parliament in the Ukrainian part of the tsar empire was established and more rights were adjudged. The far west of the Ukraine was under control of Hungarian and Austrian nobility. In opposition to the Russian parts of Ukraine, Ukrainians were accepted as an own nationality and were able to live their cultural traditions and their language [7].
At the beginning of Odessa`s history, the port and business around it gained importance in trade and politics. In these golden ages, the “Italian Russia” was very European and tolerant; all religions were accepted and religious buildings were built. Around 1850 the city of Odessa was one of the richest city in the whole Russian empire and very popular among Russian nobility. After golden years, which ended due to economic crisis after Crimean war and mass immigration into Odessa, it became quite poor and one of the venues for the riots of 1905 [8].
World War 1 and later revolution
During the First World War, Ukrainians fought against each other on one hand for K and K monarchy and the Russian empire. After revolution, riots and fall of the tsar, an independent Ukrainian republic was proclaimed. Shortly after, it was occupied by armed forces of the central powers. With the peace agreement of Brest-Litowsk, Ukraine became independent again.
After a year of chaos and anarchy in the people’s republic of Ukraine with a pogrom where 4000 Jews were killed, the red army occupied the country and installed a Sowjet-republic. Out of this era, many symbols of today’s Ukraine originated, for instance the flag or the currency [9].
Ukraine between the wars
At first, Ukraine was seen as an own nation within the Soviet Union and Ukrainian was their official language — with the rise of Stalin this changed. Due to the control of agricultural resources by the government of Stalin, a famine in 1932/33 killed an estimated number of three million people, mostly Ukrainian farmers. A widely supported theory says that Stalin especially struck Ukrainian farmers to break their spirit — which makes it controversial. The famine or so-called Holodomor is an important historical symbol for today’s Ukraine and a symbol of oppression by the Russians. Furthermore, millions of Ukrainians were deported between 1937/38, whereof 500 thousand were gruesomely killed. [10].
Territory of Ukraine during World War 2
In 1941, the whole territory of Ukraine was occupied by German and Romanian forces. Western Ukrainian rebels collaborated with the NS-regime with the intention of gaining independence again. This collaboration lead to crimes against humanity such as the pursue of Jewish and Polish minorities. During the Second World War, two million Ukrainians were deported to Germany for forced labor, whereby hundreds of thousands were killed. Ukrainians, which were not deported, had to work for the NS-Regime to deliver food for the troops and even for the home market of Germany. Apart from the Rebels in the west, millions of Ukrainians fought for the Red Armed forces against Nazi-Germany.
Because Odessa was in the hands of Romanian forces, the non-Jewish population was not struck as hard as other parts of Ukraine and the damage was comparatively low. If they would have succeed in the war, Odessa would have become a part of Romania. As mentioned, Ukraine had a big amount of Jewish minorities, especially in Odessa. Nearly all Jews were terminated by the SS and Gestapo — a symbol therefore was the killing of 30 thousand Jewish minorities in the valley of Babyn Jar. [11]
Ukraine as a part of the Soviet Union
After the liberation by the USSR, Western and Eastern Ukraine was reunited. Today most of the Ukrainians remember the Second World War as a liberation of Ukrainians and Russians — only some fascistic minorities in the west remember it as a liberation from Russia. Because of the views of some western Ukrainians, the Russian regime likes to defame the whole Ukraine as a fascist entity.
The first years after the war, people living in the Ukrainian part of Russia struggled with desperate poverty and were excluded from politics in Moscow. With Nikita Chruschtschow, who grew up in Ukraine, becoming the head of the communist party, the situation became slightly better and the living standard was improved to a normal standard within Russian territory. Better living conditions brought more Russianization among ascending Ukrainians — and any oppisition was quickly destroyed by the regime [12].
The accident of Chernobyl in 1989 became a further national symbol for the oppression by the Russians. Information and help after the catastrophe was poorly managed and many lives could have been saved with another reaction by the regime. (Pfister Stehli, 2016).
Defining a historical Ukrainian country and therefore defining Ukrainian identity is a nearly impossible task. To comprehend that the Ukrainian population is divided, it is required to look at the territory which Ukraine is today, with its ethnic groups like Ukrainians, Jews, Polish, Russians and Germans that live and have lived there. [1] As an embodiment of the struggle with national identity and the multi-ethnical history, the city of Odessa’s nicknames like “ Italian Russia”, “Capital of the Jewish and Hebrew Literature” or “The Southern Gate to Europe” seem fitting. [2]
References
[1] [3] [4] [6] [7] [9] [10] [11] [12] Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. (2015). Geschichte der Ukraine im Überblick. Retrieved April 7, 2018, from bpd.de: http://www.bpb.de/izpb/209719/geschichte-der-ukraine-im-ueberblick?p=0
[2] [8] Witzlack-Makarevich, K. (2014). Odessa/Odesa. Retrieved April 7, 2018, from ome-lexikon.uni-oldenburg.de: http://ome-lexikon.uni-oldenburg.de/orte/odessa-odesa/
[13] Pfister Stehli, H. (2016). Ukraine trotz allem. Retrieved march 30, 2018, from srf.ch: https://www.srf.ch/sendungen/dok/ukraine-trotz-allem
[5] YouTube. (2017). Ukraine — Grenzland zwischen Ost und West. Retrieved march 30, 2018, from youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjBoAqXhFCM
Curious how it goes on? Stay tuned for next Sunday’s post!
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Kevin S.
Studyweek Odessa — A project from nine students of HTW Chur
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