The Making of Modern Ukraine

Class 1 is an introduction to the course and an exploration of questions raised by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Timothy Snyder is the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University and a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. He speaks five and reads ten European languages.

In Class 3, Timothy Snyder, recently back from a visit to Ukraine, explores the geography and ancient history of the region.

Do you speak the language or does the language speak you? In Class 4 Professor Timothy Snyder maps out the landscape 'Before Europe.'.

In Class 5, Professor Snyder describes the foundations of the Kyiv state.

Class 6 continues the foundations of the Kyiv state at a time when Lithuania was much larger than most people think.

Class 7 continues the exploration of post-Viking states toward the rise of Muscovite power.

In Class 8, guest lecturer Glenn Dynner, Professor of Judaic Studies and Director of the Bennett Center at Fairfield University, explores the early Jews of modern Ukraine.

This lecture investigates the profound impact of the Polish state on early modern Ukrainian development, particularly analyzing the socio-political dynamics of Polish power and the emergence of Cossack revolutionary movements.

This session explores the intricate ways various global empires, including the Russian and Habsburg, shaped the evolving historical trajectory and societal structures of Ukraine.

This lecture examines the complex interplay of Ottoman decline, the rise of Russian influence, and the burgeoning of Ukrainian populism during the pivotal 18th century.

This lecture details the confluence of revolutionary forces and the eventual dissolution of empires that profoundly reshaped the political landscape of Eastern Europe.

This session delves into the complex experiences of Ukrainians living within Poland during the interwar period, exploring national identity, state policies, and cross-border interactions.

This lecture critically examines the Soviet policies of Ukrainization, the devastating Holodomor famine, and the accompanying political terror that marked the 1920s and 1930s in Ukraine.

This session critically analyzes the historical veracity of the 'Privilegium Maius' and traces the extensive influence of the Habsburg dynasty on European and Ukrainian development.

This lecture confronts the horrific policies of colonization, extermination, and ethnic cleansing implemented in Ukraine during the devastating 1940s, analyzing their systematic nature and impact.

This session examines the post-Stalinist era in Ukraine, focusing on Khrushchev's reforms, subsequent Soviet recentralization efforts, and the emergence of dissidence from the 1950s to 1970s.

This lecture analyzes the ideological shifts from Marxism and dialectics to consumerism and nationalism during the transition period from Khrushchev's rule to Brezhnev's era, in the context of Ukraine.

This session explores the formation and influence of oligarchic systems in both post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine, drawing connections to the enduring historical impact of Polish-Lithuanian legacies.

Guest lecturer Marci Shore examines the profound socio-political implications of the Maidan protests and their transformative role in shaping Ukrainian national self-understanding and identity.

Guest lecturer Arne Westad provides a comparative analysis of Russian imperialism, contextualizing its characteristics and trajectory against other major empires in recent global history.