“Ukraine-a country torn between East and West”
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe with a population of 46 million people that consists of 78% Ukrainians, 17% Russians and 5% others among which Bulgarian, Hungarian, Tatar and other minorities.
Historically Ukraine is a relatively new country in terms of statehood and political development. Its past has been largely affected by the division between western, catholic influence brought by the ruling Polish-Lithuanian nobility, and the Russian and Eastern-Orthodox sphere of influence.
The fault line between East and West lies along the river Dniepr-its right bank showing the signs of a western culture and the left bank being largely associated with pro-Russian sentiments.
The regions of Galicia and Volhynia to the west for instance, played a significant role in forming of what is today’s Ukrainian cultural reality. For large tracts of history the abovementioned provinces were part of the Polish and later Polish-Lithuanian kingdoms. The Union of Lublin in 1569 that established the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth confirmed the privileged position of Poland in Galicia and Volhynia. The ruling class was catholic and Polonized, whereas the peasantry was Eastern-Orthodox. Lacking any type of protection and representation the commoners had to turn to the Eastern-Orthodox Cossacks for help which led to the lengthy wars and upheavals among them the famous uprising of Bohdan Hmelnitsky.
The rise of the Russian Empire to the east resulted in gradual establishment of pro-Russian left bank part of Ukraine. Up until the partitions of Poland at the end of 18th century, the geo-strategic status quo between the two major powers Poland and Russia contributed to the formation of “two” Ukraines-one under catholic rule and another to the east under Eastern-Orthodox Russian influence.
An example of that division is the creation of Greek Catholic or Uniate church in Galicia and Volhynia which preserved the eastern rites however accepted the Pope in Rome as part of the efforts of the ruling polish nobility to move the population closer to Catholicism.
Following the partitions of Poland the territory of what is modern Ukraine was divided between Russia and Austria later Austro-Hungary. The First World War brought yet another set of rulers as Poland was able to acquire Galicia and Volynha and the rest of Ukraine became part of the Soviet Union as one of the republics. Western Ukraine experienced another attempt of Polonization which ended with the dismemberment of Poland after the Ribbentrop-Molotov infamous pact. The years that followed during and after the World War II were marked by the actual cessation of Polish presence in western Ukraine. Major factor were the raids carried out by the branch of the “Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists” inspired by Stepan Bandera later on “Ukrainian Insurgent Army” (Ukrains’kaPovstans’kaArmiia). The political decision by Stalin to “move” the Ukrainian, Belorussian and Polish borders “west” and the consecutive population exchange further de-Polonized western Ukraine.
It must be noted though that the distinctive culture of Galicia and Volhynia however heavily influenced by years of Polish dominance is in fact a historical reality based on the fact that Orthodox population co-existed in a catholic and western environment. This fact has left a lasting mark on the formation of the Ukrainian nation as such.
The fault line between east and west in Ukraine could be witnessed in the country’s present political development. Ukrainian governments following the declaration of independence in 1991 have represented both pro-western and pro-Russian courses of action. For instance Viktor Yuschenko and YuliaTymoshenko who led the so called “Orange Revolution” in 2004 were campaigning on the basis of clearly pro-western path of Ukrainian political development. Marred by allegations of rampant corruption and severe economic crisis in 2009 they lost power to their “arch-rival” Viktor Yanukovich-a pro-Russian politician who favors closer ties with its eastern neighbor.
Such extreme swings of the political pendulum are clear indicators of the omnipresent undercurrents in the Ukrainian society that lay deep along the dividing line between what is considered eastern and western parts of the country. There are lots of similarities between the political reality in Ukraine at present and the destructive clash between eastern and western culture in former Yugoslavia in 1991. In the Balkan Peninsula there is also a historical fault line between western catholic and eastern Orthodox cultural influence that roughly follows the eastern borders of Croatia. There are some distinctive differences however. Ukraine faces a formidable “Great Power” as Russia to the east, which is not to be taken lightly in terms of foreign policy as well as a major supplier of natural gas and other raw materials. Yugoslavia on the other hand fell apart largely due to irreconcilable historical, ethnic and religious differences between the constituent republics. That being the case the Ukrainian political development seems rather closely dependent on the influence yielded by its eastern neighbor as the recent extension of Russian military bases in Crimea in exchange for cheaper gas supplies show. Russia on the other hand seems content with the existing opportunity to rely heavily on the “pro-Russian” part of the Ukrainian society as opposed to having to deal with a possible division of Ukraine into two separate entities-independent western and dependent eastern parts. It is worth noting that only 17% of the population consider themselves “Russian”, however much larger portion are Russian leaning based on cultural and confessional (Eastern-Orthodox) historical realities. Additionally a potentially smaller western Ukraine could create a new set of geo-political challenges as becoming a disgruntled staunchly anti-Russian “new Georgia”. Such smaller western Ukraine would most likely be tempted into a NATO membership following in the steps of the Baltic republics. The current “pro-Russian” president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich on the other hand had declared Ukraine to be a “non-aligned country” that would cooperate with NATO but would not seek actual membership-another bow to the eastern neighbor in terms of foreign policy.
In conclusion the road to stability in Ukrainian politics seems rather rocky at present. The division between “East” and “West” will continue to dominate the political landscape of Ukraine while the young nation is striving to develop a mature and modern society. Would such process be a success or cause a painful and destructive break like in former Yugoslavia only time will show. What is certain though is that the people of Ukraine deserve to be given a chance by its political elite to reach a state of prosperity and well-being regardless of what part of the country they live in, based on sound economic growth, diminished corruption and government accountability on all levels. Only then “East” and “West” would cease to be a dividing factor but rather become what they are meant to be- nothing else but geographical terms.
*“This article is created by the author- a graduate in International Relations from the University of National and World Economy, Sofia. All ideas are a sole property of the author”
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