- Category: About Ukraine
History of the Ukrainian State.
The ancestors of the Ukrainians - Eastern Slavs who settled the territory east of the Danube and north of the Black Sea, in the 8 - 9 century, organized by state Kievan Rus.
At that time the Slavs had no single ruler. Each city was ruled by their own prince. Often there were occasions when one city tried to grab another city to rob him or subdue. The greatest power was in Kiev. Therefore, the state was called Kievan Rus.
In 988 Prince Vladimir of Kiev accepted Christianity (before the Slavs were pagans). There is a legend that ambassadors came to Vladimir from different countries to invite him to their religion. A Jewish mission came from the people of the steppes east of the Caspian Sea, who had been converted to the Jewish faith. A Moslem mission came from the Bulgars. A Catholic mission came from Germany, and mission came from Orthodox Eastern Church in Constantinople. Vladimir listened to them all, and finalli decided to accept the Orthodox Estern Church.
In 1325 the Ukrainian lands won Lithuanian Duke Gediminas and attach them to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Eastern territory of modern Ukraine was occupied by the Tatar-Mongols. From that time until 1939, Ukraine has never been a single state.
Since the XVI century the Cossacks born in Ukraine. Cossacks - a warriors who fought for independence and protect our land from the attacks of enemies.
In the mid-twentieth century, the eastern and central Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union and the Western lands were occupied by Poland. But in 1939 the Soviet government rescued from Poland's western lands and annexed them to the Ukraine.
In 1941, the Soviet Union was attacked by troops of Nazi Germany. After a few months the whole of Ukraine was occupied by the Germans. Ukrainians, together with other peoples of the Soviet Union bravely defended their land. Despite the enormous human toll in 1944 the entire territory of Ukraine was liberated. In 1954, the Crimean peninsula was annexed to Ukraine. Before that it belonged to Russia.
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine became a sovereign state.
Although the Ukrainians as a nation has existed for more than a thousand years, Ukraine as an independent state, there is only from 24 August 1991.
Having obtained the independence of Ukraine immediately began to build a democratic, free society.
Soon the people of Ukraine has chosen its first President - Leonid Kravchuk.