The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine

Category: Book
By (author): Plokhy, Serhii
Subject:  HISTORY / Europe / Eastern
  HISTORY / Europe / Former Soviet Republics
  HISTORY / Europe / Russia & the Former Soviet Union
  HISTORY / General
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: May 2021
Format: Book-paperback
Pages: 448
Size: 9.05in x 5.95in x 1.45in
Our Price:
$ 24.99
Availability:
In stock

Additional Notes

From The Publisher*

A New York Times bestseller, this definitive history of Ukraine is "an exemplary account of Europe's least-known large country" (Wall Street Journal).

As Ukraine is embroiled in an ongoing struggle with Russia to preserve its territorial integrity and political independence, celebrated historian Serhii Plokhy explains that today's crisis is a case of history repeating itself: the Ukrainian conflict is only the latest in a long history of turmoil over Ukraine's sovereignty. Situated between Central Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, Ukraine has been shaped by empires that exploited the nation as a strategic gateway between East and West-from the Romans and Ottomans to the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. In The Gates of Europe, Plokhy examines Ukraine's search for its identity through the lives of major Ukrainian historical figures, from its heroes to its conquerors.

This revised edition includes new material that brings this definitive history up to the present. As Ukraine once again finds itself at the center of global attention, Plokhy brings its history to vivid life as he connects the nation's past with its present and future.

Review Quote*"[An] exemplary account of Europe's least-known large country... one of the joys of reading the The Gates of Europe is that what might seem a dense account of distant events involving unfamiliar places and people is leavened by aphorism and anecdote."-Wall Street Journal
Review Quote*"An assured and authoritative survey that spans ancient Greek times to the present day."-Financial Times
Review Quote*"Readers can find no better place to turn than Plokhy's new book.... Plokhy navigates the subject with grace and aplomb."-Foreign Affairs
Review Quote*"[An] admirable new history.... In his elegant and careful exposition of Ukraine's past, Mr. Plokhy has also provided some signposts to the future."-Economist
Review Quote*"Elegantly written."-New York Review of Books
Review Quote*"The timeframe and subjects covered here are extraordinary...students, academics, and readers with a general knowledge of Ukraine will appreciate. Alternatively, chapters can be read independently, allowing those with a strong interest in the subject to focus on a specific era of Ukraine's history."-Library Journal
Review Quote*"Injecting appropriate nuance and complexity into a single-volume overview of 2,000 years of Ukrainian history is no small task, but Plokhy approaches this charge with dexterity and skill.... Plokhy's work serves as a welcome introduction to Ukraine's ethnic and national history."-Publishers Weekly
Review Quote*"[A] concise, highly readable history of Ukraine...a lively narrative peopled with a colorful cast of Norse and Mongol marauders, free-booting Cossacks, kings, conquerors and dictators, and conflicted 19th century intellectuals who believed fervently in a Ukrainian cultural identity but were fatally divided as to how that cultural identity could evolve into national entity."-Washington Times
Review Quote*"A masterly surveyor of Ukrainian history."-Independent (UK)