The 20th Century was one of turmoil, tragedy, and finally triumph for the Ukraine. As the century began, the western areas of Ukraine were under the Austro-Hungarian Empire (see Habsburgs post on side bar), the eastern regions under Russia, and some northern areas belonged to Poland. World War I pitted the regions against each other, and many Ukrainian villages were destroyed in the crossfire. Conflict only intensified during the Russian Revolution, where between 1918-1920, Kyiv changed leadership18 times between the Red Russians, White Russians, Poles, Germans, and other groups. There was an attempt at independence, but the country that had lost 1.5 million lives in these conflicts also lost the chance to be free.
The Ukraine has been known as the Breadbasket of Europe, as its fertile fields have almost always produced an abundance of grain and food. But Stalin was determined to force successful Ukrainian farmers into his poorly conceived collectivism and destroy any movement toward independent nationalism (at least that 's what I concluded of this complicated matter). The result was known as the Holodomor or "Killing by Hunger," a man-made famine whose policies resulted in the death of 7-10 million Ukrainians between 1932-33. The Soviets then denied this ever occurred and "adjusted" records, so numbers are still debated.
Peasants were considered "counter-revolutionaries," accused of hiding grain and potatoes needed by the industrial workers. All food was declared property of the state, and any peasant suspected of bringing food home from the fields was cut off from rationing. While the worst effects were in the countryside, those in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities also had inadequate food. Anyone providing food to others was punished. Some escaped into Romania, but most could only watch families and friends starve, as Ukrainian food was taken for distribution elsewhere. Since the fall of the USSR, the Holodomor has been recognized as an act of genocide and a crime against humanity. There is now a touching statue and monument along the river to remember those who suffered in this land of plenty.
World War II brought additional horrors to the Ukraine. In Hitler's invasion of the USSR, he targeted Kyiv and the steppes of the Ukraine on the way to his intended conquest of Moscow. Hitler considered his victory in the Battle of Kiev the greatest battle in history, as his troops managed to encircle over 400,000 Soviet troops just outside the city--the largest encirclement of troops in history. After a siege of 72 days, Kyiv was forced to surrender, but there was a strong underground movement that kept the resistance alive. Many Kyivites were brave in those dark hours. Their Dynamo soccer team (see the preceding post on Kyiv: Summer in the Parks) made up of malnourished workers was challenged to play the elite and powerful German Luftwaffe team. They were told it would be best to lose, but, in what has been called the Death Match, the Dynamo team won 5-1. While the team members were not immediately shot (as some have reported), most were arrested and tortured. Some were eventually killed; others were fortunate to slip out of sight.
The story of Babi Yar stands as one of the worst Nazi atrocities. On September 29, 1941, all Jews of the city were ordered to report near the Jewish cemetery. They were stripped of clothing, attacked by dogs, and beaten and shot by soldiers into a ravine called Babi Yar--the live, wounded, and dead, falling on top of one another. In two days, over 33,770 Jews were killed or buried alive. Others were later send to concentration camps or labor camps in Germany. I was reminded of the complexities of Everything is Illuminated. On a very hot Sunday afternoon, we visited one of the memorials at Babi Yar. At the top was a mother, hands bound, leaning over to give her infant a final kiss.
The second half of the century was kinder to the Ukraine. Gradually, Kyiv grew again in size and importance. Khrushchev actually added territory to the Ukraine, including the port cities of Sevastopol and Yalta, never thinking they would be separated from Russia. In 1986, the people were not warned of the dangers of nuclear fall-out from Chernobyl in nearby Belarus, and instead the children of Kyiv were paraded in the streets to show there was nothing to worry about. As the USSR crumbled, Ukraine declared independence in 1991, but it wasn't really until the peaceful Orange Revolution in 2004 that the citizens, filling the streets of Kyiv and Independence Square, demanded their right to greater freedom and democracy. 
Click below for slideshow:
Dark Days in Kyiv
Music: Newelink (Prisoner), Ukrainian Village Music:Historical Recordings 1928-1933, Ukrainiska Selska Orchestra
More Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kiev_(1941) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babi_Yar
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