Communism and the Dilemmas of National Liberation

A century ago, the attempt to implement a Ukrainian national project within the USSR might have seemed quite successful: the policy of Ukrainization led to a rapid increase in literacy, the spread of the Ukrainian language in cities, an extraordinary rise in culture, and the government of the Ukrainian SSR had broad powers in the field of economics. But this was short-lived: comprehensive forced collectivization and artificial famine in regions inhabited by Ukrainians, arrests, executions and persecution of Ukrainian politicians and intellectuals, a rapid return to Russocentrism and the spread of chauvinistic sentiments testified: the USSR is the same Russian Empire under a new name. In James Mace's classic investigation, the reader will find a concentrated, consistent and fascinating overview of the ideas and events of 1918-1933 - an experience that is now more relevant than ever.