Ukraine is currently embroiled in a tense fight with Russia to preserve its territorial integrity and political independence. But today's conflict is only the latest in a long history of battles over Ukraine's territory and its existence as a sovereign nation. As the award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy argues in The Gates of Europe; we must examine Ukraine's past in order to understand its present and future.Situated between Central Europe; Russia; and the Middle East; Ukraine was shaped by the empires that used it as a strategic gateway between East and West—from the Roman and Ottoman empires to the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. For centuries; Ukraine has been a meeting place of various cultures. The mixing of sedentary and nomadic peoples and Christianity and Islam on the steppe borderland produced the class of ferocious warriors known as the Cossacks; for example; while the encounter between the Catholic and Orthodox churches created a religious tradition that bridges Western and Eastern Christianity. Ukraine has also been a home to millions of Jews; serving as the birthplace of Hassidism—and as one of the killing fields of the Holocaust.Plokhy examines the history of Ukraine's search for its identity through the lives of the major figures in Ukrainian history: Prince Yaroslav the Wise of Kyiv; whose daughter Anna became queen of France; the Cossack ruler Ivan Mazepa; who was immortalized in the poems of Byron and Pushkin; Nikita Khrushchev and his protégé-turned-nemesis Leonid Brezhnev; who called Ukraine their home; and the heroes of the Maidan protests of 2013 and 2014; who embody the current struggle over Ukraine's future.As Plokhy explains; today's crisis is a tragic case of history repeating itself; as Ukraine once again finds itself in the center of the battle of global proportions. An authoritative history of this vital country; The Gates of Europe provides a unique insight into the origins of the most dangerous international crisis since the end of the Cold War.
#1219053 in Books Kate Clifford Larson 2011-02-22 2011-02-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.25 x .75 x 5.50l; .61 #File Name: 0465024416288 pagesHistory 19th-centuryPlot to Kill Abraham Lincolngripping story Mary Surrattinterviews; confessions; and court testimonysex; espionage; and murder
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Book reviewBy MikeIt is well written. I have read other books on the assassination and aftermath but never directed just at one individual. I also have strong opinions on Mary Surratt's guilt or innocence. Some of Kate Larson's points I have a problem with.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Could not put this book down......By C. MichalskiI enjoyed this book. It is interesting to read about other participants in the conspiracy other than John Wilkes Booth. After reading this book I concluded that Mary Surratt had some guilt and was not a total innocent; however; she did not deserve to hang in my opinion. This was an easy read; well written. Enjoyed the movie as well.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. it's pretty inescapable that she knew violence was being plotted by ...By JulieWell-written and thoughtful. It leans toward Mary Surratt's guilt; and I have to agree -- when you look at all the evidence together; it's pretty inescapable that she knew violence was being plotted by Booth and his cohorts.
