Ukraine: Perestroika to Independence
Taras Kuzio
Honorary Fellow
Ukraine Centre
University of North LondonSecond Edition, 2000
I would like to dedicate this book to my parents for their help and understanding.
Contents Acknowledgement viii
List of Maps and Tables ix
List of Plates x
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations xii
Introduction xiii1 Theories of Nationalism and the Soviet Ukrainian Context 1
2 Strengths and Weaknesses of the National Movement 18
3 Ukraine on the Eve of the Gorbachev Era 43
4 Gorbachev, Dissent and the New Opposition (1987-8) 64
5 Consolidation (1988-9) 83
6 The Birth of Mass Politics (1989-90) 103
7 1990: Ukrainian Elections and the Rise of a Multi-Party System 128
8 Stalemate and the Rise of National Communism (1990-1) 158
9 From Soviet to Independent Ukraine: The Coup and Aftermath 179
10 Conclusions 214
Select Bibliography 265
Index 268
Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the assistance of Andrew Wilson, the coauthor of the first edition, in removing some of the inaccuracies of that edition, but understands that he has no wish to be associated with this edition. Any remaining faults are the author's own.
List of Maps and Tables
Maps
2.1 Post-1945 boundaries of the Ukrainian SSR within the Soviet Union
2.2 Ukrainians in neighbouring territories
2.3 Minorities and separatism in UkraineTables
2.1 National composition of the Ukrainian population in 1989
3.1 Percentage of Ukrainians in the CPU
3.2 Growth of the CPU
8.1 Results of the 17 March 1991 referendum in Ukraine
9.1 Results of the presidential elections of 1 December 1991
9.2 Support for independence in the 1 December 1991 referendum
List of Acronyms and Abbreviations
CPSU
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
CPU
Communist Party of Ukraine
DPU
Democratic Party of Ukraine
GWA
Green World Association
IPA
Inter-Party Assembly
IWU
Independent Workers Union
OUN
Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists
PDRU
Party of Democratic Revival of Ukraine
PPU
Peasants' Party of Ukraine
PUSP
Popular Union in Support of Perestroika
ROC
Russian Orthodox Church
Rukh
Ukrainian Popular Movement
SDPU
Social Democratic Party of Ukraine
SPU
Socialist Party of Ukraine
STUU
Solidarity Trade Union of Ukraine
UANTI
Ukrainian Association Independent Creative Intelligentsia
UAOC
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
UCC
Ukrainian Catholic Church
UCDF
Ukrainian Christian Democratic Front
UDU
Ukrainian Democratic Union
UHU
Ukrainian Helsinki Union
UNA
Ukrainian National Assembly
UNS
Ukrainian Nationalist Union
UPA
Ukrainian Insurgent Army
UPDL
Ukrainian Peoples Democratic League
URP
Ukrainian Republican Party
USCPS
Ukrainian State Committee for the Protection of Society
USDPU
United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine
VOST
All-Ukrainian Union of Workers' Solidarity
WUU
Writers Union of Ukraine
xn
Introduction The vote by the Ukrainian parliament to declare independence in the aftermath of the failed August 1991 Soviet coup, and the subsequent ratification of that decision by popular referendum on 1 December 1991, was a crucial factor that helped bring an end to the old USSR, and thrust a hitherto under-researched nation of 52 million people into the limelight. This book aims to redress that past neglect and analyse the events that led up to Ukrainian independence.
Chapter 1 examines theoretical work on the development of nationalism, particularly on the role of the intelligentsia and state elites in generating national revival movements. In the context of the disintegrating USSR and its previously all-powerful state, it is argued that although the cultural intelligentsia played a crucial early role of initiating national and democratic protest as political conditions began to open up in many republics in 1987-90, it tended to be state 'national communist' elites that led this movement to success in 1991.
Chapter 2 discusses the specific weaknesses of the Ukrainian national movement, which made it even more unlikely that the Ukrainian intelligentsia could take power alone.
Chapter 3 examines state and dissident politics in the postwar period, and stresses how the 'era of stagnation' proved exceptionally durable in Ukraine, lasting until at least 1989.
Chapter 4-6 trace the slow and uncertain rise of opposition politics during the early Gorbachev era.
Chapter 7 discusses the crucial turning-point of the 1990 republican elections in Ukraine, which gave the opposition a quarter of the seats and a foothold on power for the first time.
Chapter 8 describes the uneasy transition period of 1990-1 when elements in the communist hierarchy began to build bridges with the new opposition. More conservative elements resisted this process, however, resulting in stalemate, with neither side able to overwhelm the other.
Chapter 9 describes how the failure of the August 1991 coup broke this deadlock, and by shifting virtually all political forces into the 'national communist' camp, helped to ensure 90.3 per cent support in the referendum for Ukrainian independence on 1 December 1991 (and victory for ex-communist President Leonid Kravchuk), that helped bring an end to the old USSR.
Spellings are transliterated throughout by the Library of Congress system. Ukrainian names are used in preference to Russian (for example, Donbas rather than Donbass), except for Russian politicians. Soft signs are translated with an apostrophe for place names, but the convention of excluding them from proper names is followed. The terms 'Moldova' and Belarus are preferred. The area on the Left Bank of the river Dnister is referred to as the 'Dnister Republic' or, from the Russian, 'Prydnistrov'ia'. Kiev is transliterated as Kyiv. 'Gorbachev' and 'Boris Yeltsin' are kept as well-known Anglicisms.
Of the too numerous people that the authors would like to thank, the following should be mentioned: the University of London for generous financial support, Eugene Pathia at RFE/RL for kind permission to use quoted materials, Valentin Yakushik, Dmitrii Vydrin and all the staff of the International School of Ukrainian Studies in Kyiv, especially Natalka and Iurii Petrus, Dominique Arel in Canada, Dominic Lieven, and especially Helen SkiUicorn in London for her invaluable support.
We are also grateful to the Prolog Research Corporation, the Ukrainian Press Agency and many, many people in Ukraine who helped in the collection of valuable primary materials that made the book possible.
Taras Kuzio
Also by Taras Kuzio
DISSENT IN UKRAINE (editor)
UKRAINE: The Unfinished Revolution
UKRAINE: Back from the Brink
UKRAINE-CRIMEA-RUSSIA: Triangle of Conflict
UKRAINE SECURITY POLICY
UKRAINE UNDER KUCHMA: Economic Reform, Political Transformation and Security Policy in Independent Ukraine
UKRAINE: STATE AND NATION BUILDING
CONTEMPORARY UKRAINE: Dynamics of Post-Soviet Ukraine {editor)
STATE AND INSTITUTION BUILDING IN UKRAINE {co-editor) POLITICS AND SOCIETY IN UKRAINE {co-author)