Political events in Ukraine in November and December of 2004 attracted attention of the world community to this country as the wind of democratic changes came to this former republic of the Soviet Union. Even though the Soviet Union collapsed 13 years ago, historical political and economical bounds between those 15 new independent states where quite strong and even though these countries became independent, their dependence upon the policy of Kremlin remained. All 15 countries chose the way of democratic reforms but their totalitarian past and no experience democracy prevented from any effective realization of their reformative policies. In fact, this 15-year period was characterized by hyperinflation, extreme poverty and sharpening social contradictions. Russia had preserved its dominance over the politics of its close neighbors: Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan dictating them its conditions of economical development which were Moscow-oriented. The corrupted governments of these countries with corrupted legislative and executive branches of power had turned their countries into full dependence upon Moscow's will.
Before discussing the modern political tendencies of Ukraine it's important to revise 15 years of Ukrainian independence in order to understand the nature of contradictions and crisis of political power which revealed itself at the end of 2004.
Communist experience of Ukraine was the main break factor which prevented country from integration to Europe, free equal trade with western and eastern partners, military reform and other essential reforms of civil state. Pro-Russian parliamentarians, who were former members of the Communist party continued to be loyal to Russia and Russian domination in Eastern Europe, so they did their best in order to keep "warm relations with big brother" and did what Kremlin wanted them to do. For a decade Ukrainian politicians were lost what side to support: Russia's or the side of Europe. As a result of such corruptive and selfish political management Ukraine became backward country with ruined heavy industry and collapsing agricultural sector. Inflation reached unbelievable rate (100-000% if compared to 1991)
and average salary in the year of 2004 was approximately 100$
. But the problems of the country were not limited only to economical problems.
In early 1990's Ukraine fully experienced what separatism meant as the Crimean region officials, sponsored by Russian political authorities who wanted to secure Russian military bases in the port of Sevastopol wanted to separate from Ukraine and join Russian Federation. Crimea became autonomous, which now has economical autonomy from official Kiev (the capital of Ukraine), but it doesn't mean that standards of living in Crimea are higher than in Ukraine. Crimea was just an object for Russia to demonstrate its power and prove Ukraine its political weakness and dependence.
Besides, recent events show that Ukraine was turned into Russia's energy slave as main energy resources: gas and oil are exported from Russia. In order to secure domination on energy market of Ukraine, Russian oil companies became the owners of 15 biggest oil-refining plants which in the past guaranteed energy independence from Russia. It wouldn't happen in any democratic country with a true government, but corrupted Ukrainian officials promoted this policy as the compensation from the side of Russia was a political support.
Another important particularity of Ukraine is that ethnic Ukrainians form only 73% of its population, ethnic Russians - 22%.
But the Russian speaking minority is 40% of the country's population. Independent Ukraine failed to promote its cultural nationalization policy; the language issue remains to be unsolved: in the eastern part of Ukraine there is miserable number of schools where subjects are taught in Ukrainian, Ukrainian is neither used in universities in the eastern part of the country.
But the most terrible and shameful for the image of the country became total corruption of state institutions: starting from the administration of president and going all the way down to high school counselors. If in 1994 before Leonid Kuchma was elected as a president, the word "corruption" was rarely used either in media or in politics and was associated with the world of Sicilian mafia from the movies, then in quite a short period of time the nation experienced the effects of corruption and mafia on themselves.
Disrespect of the nation towards government and oligarchs caused political crisis of 2001 which turned into numerous actions of protest in Kiev led by consolidated opposition: socialists, right nationalists and communists with the only slogan "Kuchma go away!." But this action of protest failed and...
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