• government
Under the 1978 constitution, which was
substantially amended during the early
1990s, there is a 450-member legislature,
the Supreme Council (Supreme Soviet), to
which deputies are elected by a majority
system, with a second ballot `run-off´ race
in contests in which there is no clear first
round majority. The executive state
president, directly elected for a five-year
term, has decree powers and appoints a
prime minister and cabinet, drawn the
majority grouping within the Supreme
Soviet. Since 1995 the president has full
control over ministerial appointments.
• history
The Ukraine formed the heartland of the
medieval state of Kievan Rus which
emerged in the 9th century.
Uniting Ukrainians, Russians (Muscovites),
and Byelorussians, it became the leading
power in eastern Europe, before being
destroyed by Mongol invasion in the 13th
century. Christianity was adopted from
Byzantium 988. It came under Catholic
Polish rule from the 14th century, with the
peasantry reduced to serfdom. In 1648
there was a revolt against Polish
oppression led by Cossacks, composed
originally of runaway serfs, and a militarist
state was established by hetman (elected
leader) Bohdan Khmelnytsky (died 1657).
East and West Ukraine were partitioned
between Muscovy and Poland 1667.
• Tsarist rule
Under Tsar Peter I the publication of
Ukrainian books was banned 1720 and
serfdom was introduced into E Ukraine
(`Little Russia´) 1783. In the late 18th
century, Russia also secured control over
all of W Ukraine, except Galicia, which
was annexed by Austria 1772. The 19th
century witnessed a Ukrainian cultural
revival and the establishment of secret
nationalist organizations, especially in
Galicia. During the late 19th and early 20th
centuries there was rapid economic
development and urbanization, but under
the late Tsars suppression of Ukraininan
culture and `Russification´ intensified.
• nationalism intensifies
Emboldened by glasnost, nationalist and
proreform demonstrations increased, led by
the People's Movement of Ukraine for
Restructuring (Rukh), established Feb
1989. Shcherbitsky was ousted as UCP
leader Sept 1989, the Uniate Church was
allowed to re-register Dec 1989, and in the
March 1990 republic supreme-soviet
election, `reform communist´ and Rukh
candidates in the Democratic Bloc polled
strongly in a number of areas. In July 1990
the new parliament declared the republic's
economic and political sovereignty.
Country in E central Europe, bounded E by
Russia, N by Belarus, S by Moldova,
Romania, and the Black Sea, and W by
Poland, the Slovak Republic, and Hungary
