Ukrainian independence movement

Ukrainian independence movement
Name	Ukrainian independence movement
Native name	Український визвольний рух
Caption	The Flag of Ukraine, a central symbol of the movement.
Formation	17th century
Purpose	Establishment and preservation of an independent Ukrainian state
Region	Ukraine
Ideology	Ukrainian nationalism, Liberalism, Anti-communism
Methods	Political activism, Diplomacy, Armed struggle, Dissident movement

Ukrainian independence movement. The movement encompasses centuries of political, cultural, and military efforts to achieve and maintain a sovereign Ukrainian state. Its history is marked by periods of revival under the Cossack Hetmanate, intellectual ferment in the Austrian Empire, and protracted struggle against the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. The movement culminated successfully with the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine in 1991, following the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine passed by the Verkhovna Rada.

Historical background

The roots of statehood trace to the medieval Kievan Rus', whose legacy was claimed by later activists. Following the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus', Ukrainian lands were divided between competing powers, most significantly the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland, and later the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. This period saw the rise of the Cossacks, particularly in the Zaporizhian Sich, who became the primary military force resisting Polish and other foreign domination, setting a precedent for self-rule.

Early modern period

The 17th century marked a major assertion of autonomy through the Khmelnytsky Uprising led by Bohdan Khmelnytsky, which established the Cossack Hetmanate. Although the Treaty of Pereyaslav brought the Hetmanate under the Tsardom of Russia, it retained significant autonomy. Subsequent leaders like Ivan Mazepa sought to break Russian control, culminating in the Battle of Poltava, a defeat for Mazepa and his ally Charles XII of Sweden. The later destruction of the Zaporizhian Sich by Catherine the Great and the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth fully absorbed Ukrainian territories into the Russian Empire and Habsburg monarchy.

19th and early 20th century

Under the Russian Empire, the movement was expressed culturally through the work of the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius and literary figures like Taras Shevchenko and Ivan Franko. In Austrian Galicia, centers like Lviv fostered political organizations such as the Prosvita society. The Russian Revolution of 1905 allowed for brief political activity. The collapse of empires during World War I created an opportunity, leading to the proclamation of the Ukrainian People's Republic following the October Revolution and the simultaneous formation of the West Ukrainian People's Republic.

Interwar period and World War II

The Ukrainian–Soviet War ended with the Peace of Riga, dividing Ukraine between the Second Polish Republic, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In Poland, organizations like the Ukrainian Military Organization and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) led by Stepan Bandera engaged in resistance. During World War II, factions of the OUN proclaimed independence in Lviv in 1941, leading to conflict with Nazi Germany. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), led by Roman Shukhevych, fought against both the Wehrmacht and the Red Army in a prolonged guerrilla campaign.

Post-war dissident movement

Following the war, Soviet repression intensified, but a new generation of dissidents emerged. The Sixtiers movement included cultural figures like Lina Kostenko and Vasyl Stus. The Ukrainian Helsinki Group, founded by Mykola Rudenko and Levko Lukyanenko, documented human rights abuses. Key events that galvanized resistance included the public protests against the destruction of Ukrainian culture and the 1970 trial of Vyacheslav Chornovil. Dissidents faced persecution by the KGB, with many, like Stus, dying in the Gulag system.

Movement to independence (1988–1991)

The reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev, Perestroika and Glasnost, allowed for the open resurgence of the movement. The environmental and political group People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) was established in 1989. A pivotal event was the Human Chain for Unity between Kyiv and Lviv in 1990. The August Coup in Moscow precipitated action by the Verkhovna Rada, which passed the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine on August 24, 1991. This was confirmed by an overwhelming popular vote in the 1991 Ukrainian independence referendum.

Legacy and commemoration

Independence Day is celebrated on August 24. Key monuments honor figures from Taras Shevchenko to dissidents like Vasyl Stus. The movement's history is preserved in institutions like the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War and the Museum of the History of Ukraine. The legacy of state-building directly informed Ukraine's path after the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity, and continues to shape national identity in the face of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War following the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. Category:Ukrainian nationalism Category:Independence movements Category:Political history of Ukraine