Preface to the Third Edition
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, hopes for a rapid transformation of the former republics into democratic societies with market-based economies were high. But, as time passed, it has become clear that these expectations had been far too optimistic.
Reforming post-Soviet societies proved to be an extraordinarily difficult and frustrating process. Soviet structures and values had much deeper roots than many realized and, by the same token, the basis for democratic institutions and market-oriented reforms was much weaker than expected. This was especially the case in Ukraine, where so much of Soviet industry and agriculture had been concentrated.There were, however, noteworthy achievements during the initial phase of independence. State-building in Ukraine was largely completed and the country gained acceptance as a full-fledged member of the international community. In the complex process of nation-building there was also progress, although national solidarity did not as yet reach the levels found in most countries of eastern and western Europe. But it was in the socio-economic field, where hopes for improvement had been the highest, that disappointment was the greatest. Instead of a transition to a new economy, Ukrainians experienced a prolonged deterioration and collapse of the old economy. Unfortunately, it was this painful and all-encompassing process that set the tone for Ukraine’s first decade as an independent state. Nonetheless, as the new millennium began, it was clear that the process of transition from the Soviet system had reached the point of no return and that the benefits of change would come, if not in the next decade, then in the next generation.
The third edition of Ukraine: A History contains a new and lengthy chapter on the first ten years of Ukrainian independence. An updated bibliography is also included. I am grateful to Ron Schoeffel of the University of Toronto Press for his continuous support of this book and to Taras Kuzio for his helpful comments and the photographs that he provided for the new edition.
Orest Subtelny
Toronto, July 2000