“In every age it has been the tyrant, the oppressor and the exploiter who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism, or religion, or both to deceive and overawe the People.” ―Eugene Victor Debs (Goodreads, 2022)

Ukrainians had to endure foreign rulers for centuries before they were again allowed the taste of freedom and self-determination. There are lessons here for every person who is living under outside control, or who has recently broken free.

The way the Polish and Lithuanians exploited Ukraine allows us to put the political forces of resistance and rebellion under the microscope. Parallels with the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine appear, and we are left to ask how a spirit of resistance and revolt can emerge from the wreckage of centuries of domination. Ukraine has figuratively faced the tanks before.