The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine
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- Create Date：2022-04-15 08:54:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Serhii Plokhy
- ISBN：0141980613
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Summary
'An indispensable guide to the tragic history of a great European nation' （David Blair Sunday Telegraph）
Located at the western edge of the Eurasian steppe， Ukraine has long been the meeting place of empires - Roman to Ottoman， Habsburg to Russian - and they all left their imprint on the landscape， the language and the people living within these shifting borders。 In this authoritative book， Harvard Professor Serhii Plokhy traces the history of Ukraine from the arrival of the Vikings in the tenth century to the current Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea。 Fascinating and multilayered， The Gates of Europe is the essential guide to understanding not just Ukraine's past but also its future。
Located at the western edge of the Eurasian steppe， Ukraine has long been the meeting place of empires - Roman to Ottoman， Habsburg to Russian - and they all left their imprint on the landscape， the language and the people living within these shifting borders。 In this authoritative book， Harvard Professor Serhii Plokhy traces the history of Ukraine from the arrival of the Vikings in the tenth century to the current Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine and annexation of Crimea。 Fascinating and multilayered， The Gates of Europe is the essential guide to understanding not just Ukraine's past but also its future。
Reviews
Daniel Rosanova
，
Really a good history that covers far more time that I would have imagined。 Fascinating perspective on a rich and long history。
Nutt
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 คือเกิดคำถามระหว่างอ่านเรื่อยๆเลยว่า。。。กุจะรู้ไปทำไมว่ะ 555
Dave
，
4 to 4。5 stars。 Since I am not an Eastern European scholar， I'll rely on my instincts to review this book。 It seems to provide a very good overview of a long and complex history of a very coveted piece of real estate。 As a bridge or crossroads between East Europe and West Asia， with rich farmland and natural resources （minus petroleum）， Ukraine's history is one of regular （almost constant） war and violence。 The staggering numbers of refugees， forced migrants， imprisoned/enslaved populations thro 4 to 4。5 stars。 Since I am not an Eastern European scholar， I'll rely on my instincts to review this book。 It seems to provide a very good overview of a long and complex history of a very coveted piece of real estate。 As a bridge or crossroads between East Europe and West Asia， with rich farmland and natural resources （minus petroleum）， Ukraine's history is one of regular （almost constant） war and violence。 The staggering numbers of refugees， forced migrants， imprisoned/enslaved populations through the centuries is incredible。 Ukraine has an ethnically diverse population due to its history。 The country now seems united in its desire to remain independent and apart from its covetous Russian neighbor （or covetous neighbor's autocrat is probably most accurate）。I very much wanted to know more about Ukraine due to current events。 I think I accomplished that to a large extent here。 I would recommend "The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine" by Serhii Plokhy。 。。。more
Ben Rogers
，
This was an okay book。 I didn't love it more just simply because of how heavy it was with the history。 I still found it a very timely and important read about Russia and Ukraine。 Recommended if you are a history buff （unlike me）。 3。0/5 This was an okay book。 I didn't love it more just simply because of how heavy it was with the history。 I still found it a very timely and important read about Russia and Ukraine。 Recommended if you are a history buff （unlike me）。 3。0/5 。。。more
Daniel Farabaugh
，
A solid， if sometimes plodding history， of the Ukraine。 It does a nice job sifting through the various ethnic groups that have had a significant role in the history of the area。
Koen
，
3。5
Steve Majerus-Collins
，
Serhii Plokhy's history of Ukraine， though a few years out of date， could not be more timely。 It provides a solid foundation for understanding Ukraine's past and， more surprisingly， a glimpse of what could be its future。 Nothing about what's happened this year would surprise Plokhy， who laid it all out in this decently written， well-researched volume。 I'm grateful it exists。 Serhii Plokhy's history of Ukraine， though a few years out of date， could not be more timely。 It provides a solid foundation for understanding Ukraine's past and， more surprisingly， a glimpse of what could be its future。 Nothing about what's happened this year would surprise Plokhy， who laid it all out in this decently written， well-researched volume。 I'm grateful it exists。 。。。more
Dan Laycock
，
Read this with a map open in front of you。 It's a dizzying amount of history very well condensed。 Highly recommended。 Read this with a map open in front of you。 It's a dizzying amount of history very well condensed。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Dennis Hogan
，
Finished The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine by Serhii Plokhy， the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard and the director of the university’s Ukrainian Research Institute。 This book was originally published in 2015 and so only includes Putin’s seizure of Crimea。 This book is a good primer for the broad expanse of Ukrainian history from ancient times through 2015。 I did not realize that both Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev called Ukraine their home。 Ukraine has Finished The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine by Serhii Plokhy， the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard and the director of the university’s Ukrainian Research Institute。 This book was originally published in 2015 and so only includes Putin’s seizure of Crimea。 This book is a good primer for the broad expanse of Ukrainian history from ancient times through 2015。 I did not realize that both Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brezhnev called Ukraine their home。 Ukraine has always been known as a prolific grain producer。 The author puts to rest Putin’s claims of inseparable linkage between Russia and Ukraine。 A great book to build an understanding of the current crisis。 。。。more
César
，
Nada como ler um livro destes para formar uma opinião sobre a guerra actual。
Alexei
，
Very good and concise history of Ukraine， as objective and unbiased as one could hope for。 I have always considered myself not totally ignorant of the subject， but I found many enlightening details here。 The story ends though with the Revolution of Dignity and the subsequent Russian annexation of the Crimea - for the rest of it the reader is on his own。
Aleksandr Voinov
，
I bought this book to gain some much-needed background information on Ukraine （considering what's currently going on）， and the author certainly provides an overview of Ukrainian history - for that， three stars。 The problem is that historiography， ie the writing and telling of history， is not just about the facts or dates or context - I can't fault the author for any of that， he did his job。 The problem is that the style and delivery are really boring; there's almost no colour， quotes， or really I bought this book to gain some much-needed background information on Ukraine （considering what's currently going on）， and the author certainly provides an overview of Ukrainian history - for that， three stars。 The problem is that historiography， ie the writing and telling of history， is not just about the facts or dates or context - I can't fault the author for any of that， he did his job。 The problem is that the style and delivery are really boring; there's almost no colour， quotes， or really anecdotes that would bring the topic （a whole country with a rich history） to life。 I'm passionate about history and don't mind scholarly tomes， but this book proved to be a slog。 I finished it only because it felt virtuous and worthy。 Another consideration is that the author makes a strong argument for Ukraine's separate （from Russia） identity， with is a counter-argument to Russian propaganda focused on Novorossia/New Russia， and he succeeds in that。 Meanwhile， he fails to deliver context on controversial figures such as Stepan Bandera。 Going by this book， I know he existed and was important， but there's no context or insight given at all。 All in all， I'm glad I read it， I'm better informed， lots of stuff is still missing， and I'm not ever going to read this again。 。。。more
Lisa
，
A good read to get a good idea of the complicated history of Ukraine and its very brave people。
Keith Lovell
，
A great overview of Ukrainian history for the clueless like myself。
Robert Morris
，
An excellent foundation in Ukrainian history。 I consider myself fairly well grounded in European history， but it's very much from the perspective of Western Europe and Great Power politics。 In much of my reading to date， academic and subsequent， Eastern Europe really only becomes a factor when Russia comes rampaging onto the European scene。 By Peter the Great and the 1700s， Ukrainian national aspirations had already mostly been crushed。 While the national struggles of captive Poland were always An excellent foundation in Ukrainian history。 I consider myself fairly well grounded in European history， but it's very much from the perspective of Western Europe and Great Power politics。 In much of my reading to date， academic and subsequent， Eastern Europe really only becomes a factor when Russia comes rampaging onto the European scene。 By Peter the Great and the 1700s， Ukrainian national aspirations had already mostly been crushed。 While the national struggles of captive Poland were always well known and appreciated in the US， the Ukrainians were more easily ignored and wrapped into the "Little Russian" identity that the Tsars pushed so heavily。 This book provides a persuasive academic， but also passionately partisan case that the neglect of Ukrainian history is unjust。 And make no mistake， this book is partisan。 In an introductory paragraph on the current Ukraine crisis， very real Russian crimes in 2014 get a lengthy hearing， with no mention of the NATO-backed presidential dethroning that prompted those crimes。 The 10 pages or so at the end of the book on 21st century Ukrainian politics barely try to rise above polemic。 If I had read this book two months ago， before Russia's monstrous invasion of Ukraine， perhaps I would have dismissed it for these reasons。 But in the new world that Putin's invasion has created， I find myself grateful that Plokhy's cards were put on the table so early。 All history is biased。 This author is clear about the case he wanted to make from the beginning， and I found that case persuasive。 Ukraine ca。 1500 arguably had a better claim to national independence and the legacy of the Kyivan Rus than the Russians ever did。 The contingencies of history simply didn't favor the Ukrainians。 A serious of disastrous missteps by current and former Russian governments have provided the opportunity for a very deep current of Ukrainian nationalism to express itself。 Plokhy's passionate case for that history is persuasive， and I am now ready to receive it。 Putin and our author agree about the earlier history of Russia and Ukraine， prior to the Mongol invasions。 Their histories were unified in the Kyivan Rus that formed around that city in between the 800s and the 1200s。 Plokhy does a great job tying together strands that I was aware of， but had never quite knit together in my own head。 The Scandinavian， Slav and Steppe influences at the heart of Ukrainian and Russian identity are linked by Ukraine's geography。 A geography that we can see influencing the progress of the war today。 In modern Ukraine's forested， river filled north， Slavs & Vikings mixed through an alchemy of religion and dynastic politics broadly similar to what we see across Northern Europe。 But the Southern grasslands between Kyiv and Black Sea introduced more chaotic elements to the mix。 From Scythians to the Mongols， to the Turks and then the Cossack confederations that provided the first stabs at Ukrainian statehood， the steppe provided a wild card that's still important today。 Southern Ukraine and the Black Sea coast weren't really run by Christians until Russian colonization starting from the late 1700s。 These historical and geographical differences can be seen in the relative Russian success in conquering the Ukrainian south since February， as compared to their abject failure in the North。 The story Plokhy tells is a compelling and profoundly sad one。 The Ukrainians were not any less viable as a state or people than the Russian colonized Poles， Latvians， Lithuanians or Estonians。 They just didn't have the wealth or outside influences necessary to preserve their national priorities to the extent that those other peoples did。 The Poles had the Catholic Church and charismatic exiles to preserve their nation。 The Ukrainians largely did not。 The story of the Ukrainian Cossack elites of the 17th-19th centuries was deeply depressing。 The Cossack leaders thought they were making alliances， while the Tsars and Polish kings thought they were getting agreements to submission。 Over and over again， the proto-Ukrainians would rebel over some set of privileges that the Russians had stolen from them， and the result always was the loss of further privileges after the rebellion had been crushed。 Ironically， this strikes me as quite similar to what Putin is doing now。 His barbaric yawlp in favor of an old， hideously abusive form of sovereignty is now likely to result in the whole world losing more sovereignty to US empire。 Putin's of sense his country's rights and privileges are as doomed as that of any 16th century Ukrainian Cossack。 This book is a worthy addition to any shelf， and hopefully as useful to your conception of European and world history as it was to mine。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Simonas
，
Skaitinys labai laiku ir vietoje: išsami Ukrainos istorija žaliems。 Nors žinau bendrą tėkmę， bet pilnas paveikslas padeda suprasti dar daugiau。 Reikia atkreipti dėmesį， jog knyga išleista 2015 m。 iš karto po Krymo okupacijos， tačiau naratyvas visiškai aktualus ir lengva surasti atsakymus į dabar kylančius klausimus net ir dabar。 Knygos autorius tai neturi jokių sąsajų su Lietuva， tai net neįtikėtina， kiek daug kartų Lietuva minima - tokia Ukrainos ir Lietuvos istorija persipynusi。 Simboliška， jo Skaitinys labai laiku ir vietoje: išsami Ukrainos istorija žaliems。 Nors žinau bendrą tėkmę， bet pilnas paveikslas padeda suprasti dar daugiau。 Reikia atkreipti dėmesį， jog knyga išleista 2015 m。 iš karto po Krymo okupacijos， tačiau naratyvas visiškai aktualus ir lengva surasti atsakymus į dabar kylančius klausimus net ir dabar。 Knygos autorius tai neturi jokių sąsajų su Lietuva， tai net neįtikėtina， kiek daug kartų Lietuva minima - tokia Ukrainos ir Lietuvos istorija persipynusi。 Simboliška， jog Janukovičius nepasirašė ES asociacijos sutarties 2013 m。 būtent Vilniaus valdovų rūmuose， kas po to nuvedė į Maidaną， Krymo okupaciją， karą Donbase ir finale nepateisinamą Rusijos invaziją 2022 m。 。。。more
Bogdan
，
Нарешті
Frank
，
I history about the Ukraine。 Quite difficult for me to read， as there are lots of new words and new knowledge gap for me to fill in。
Wendy
，
OK I didn't actually read the whole book - skipping Ancient and Medieval times I started reading about the end of the 1700's up through present （at least present until the latest invasion of the Ukraine by Russia）。 I just wanted some basic history of the Ukraine since I knew so little。 The Ukraine has been claimed by Poland and Russia and after WWI by 4 different countries。 There have been movements against freedom to use the Ukranian language in schools， and in literature， there have been movem OK I didn't actually read the whole book - skipping Ancient and Medieval times I started reading about the end of the 1700's up through present （at least present until the latest invasion of the Ukraine by Russia）。 I just wanted some basic history of the Ukraine since I knew so little。 The Ukraine has been claimed by Poland and Russia and after WWI by 4 different countries。 There have been movements against freedom to use the Ukranian language in schools， and in literature， there have been movements for using the language。 Russia has tried to keep control in part by use of the Russian language and control of the churches。 Ukranian history is messy and complicated， but I was glad to read a little about it to better understand the region。 。。。more
Iain
，
A fascinating and insightful jaunt through the history of this proud European nation。Covers the grand sweep of history in succinct， accessible chapters。Really glad I read this and feel much more informed about the complex factors that have led to the tragedy of Russia's recent illegal war against Ukraine。 A fascinating and insightful jaunt through the history of this proud European nation。Covers the grand sweep of history in succinct， accessible chapters。Really glad I read this and feel much more informed about the complex factors that have led to the tragedy of Russia's recent illegal war against Ukraine。 。。。more
Andrew Hardy
，
A mediocre pop-history book that spends a large portion of the second half trying to subversively convince the reader than Bandera was not actually a Nazi。 It does not bode well for the current cultural rehabilitation of Ukrainian nationalism in current form。
Богдан Бедрій
，
Чудова річ， читається з цікавістю。 Текст поданий дуже зрозуміло。 Читати зараз в час активної війни з Росією було особливо актуально， відчуття， що все йде по колу: і дії Заходу і російська брехня та жорстокість。 Трохи робиться лячно ща нашу державу， але таке відчуття， що саме зараз ми можемо зробити прорив。 Хоча маю впевненість， що ще за свого життя побачу нову війну з Москвою。 Дякую автору і всім рекомендую。
Maria
，
General history of Ukraine。。。 just like the title suggested。Why I started this book: With current events， I checked out several books about the history and culture of Ukraine and Russia。Why I finished it: Very broad strokes of this history。。。 and I should have been looking at a map while listening。 But a nice overview of the region。 Someone else complained that this book was too political。 I didn't notice that。。。 but I did notice that it wasn't pro-Russian。 General history of Ukraine。。。 just like the title suggested。Why I started this book: With current events， I checked out several books about the history and culture of Ukraine and Russia。Why I finished it: Very broad strokes of this history。。。 and I should have been looking at a map while listening。 But a nice overview of the region。 Someone else complained that this book was too political。 I didn't notice that。。。 but I did notice that it wasn't pro-Russian。 。。。more
Bob Laubach
，
This was a fascinating history of Ukraine that helps to understand the older Ukraine compared to the younger Russia， both in statehood and religious history。
Leah Lambart
，
It was very interesting and well researched。 It was written in a way that assumed the reader knew a lot more than this reader knew。 Maybe it's an academic style or something but I had a hard time tracking at times。 It was very interesting and well researched。 It was written in a way that assumed the reader knew a lot more than this reader knew。 Maybe it's an academic style or something but I had a hard time tracking at times。 。。。more
Casaubon
，
Reread， in the new paperback edition published in May 2021。 The first edition of this book was published in 2015， after a wave of interest in Ukraine after the Russian annexation of the Crimea and the sponsoring of armed insurgencies and so-called "breakaway republics" in Donetsk and Luhansk。 This edition was published after the events of the Trump impeachment proceedings in 2021 and his blocking of a military aid package as part of an alleged quid pro quo for assistance in the 2020 election。 Th Reread， in the new paperback edition published in May 2021。 The first edition of this book was published in 2015， after a wave of interest in Ukraine after the Russian annexation of the Crimea and the sponsoring of armed insurgencies and so-called "breakaway republics" in Donetsk and Luhansk。 This edition was published after the events of the Trump impeachment proceedings in 2021 and his blocking of a military aid package as part of an alleged quid pro quo for assistance in the 2020 election。 That may have partly been responsible for the book's public reception。 Any conclusion which notes the future of Ukraine as a stand-in for the future of the rest of the continent is not just from a historian's enthusiasm for his subject， but out of a broader humanitarian concern。 The choice of the title "Gates of Europe" is deliberate。 Plokhy asserts that a historical relationship between Ukraine and the rest of Europe is long-standing， and that attempts to divide Ukraine between a Catholic "west" and Orthodox "east"， as someone who read too closely into Samuel Huntington's The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order might have done， papers over the more complex developments of Ukrainian history。 Plokhy starts with the ancient Greeks， and then continues through to the Vikings， the Byzantine Empire， the Mongolian Empire， the Habsburg and Russian Empires， and the Soviet Union。 Ukrainian nationalism， like other European nationalisms， became more pronounced in the 19th century。 Plokhy emphasizes how that impacted other multinational empires， and how other wars accelerated demands for independence。 For a general survey， Plokhy finds a lot of time to study opinions of political elites and intellectuals。 He finds time to include the debate over Russian and Ukranian identity， and the debates between the "Little Russian" and "Ukrainian" debates over what Ukrainian identity is - and those debates have become painfully relevant。 For such an in-depth survey， this book is easy to understand。 The book also includes maps， a historical timeline， a chronology of leaders from Oleg of Kyiv to Volodymyr Zelesnky， and an extensive reading list。 The most serious flaw of the book is that it does not have in-line citations。 。。。more
Pam
，
This book has been repeatedly recommended to understand what is happening in Ukraine now。 A lot of detail that I will not hold onto， but the more recent （last 100+ years） have more meaning because I know the history from other perspectives。 Ukraine has been considered a prize for many imperialist groups， for its location and resources。 Interesting to reflect on how a national identity is formed。 Written in 2015。
Zuckzor
，
US think tank revisionism， like Snyder and Applebaum should be driven out of historiography of the region。 Unfortunately， this book fits well into the tradition。 Pro west， pro US interventionism， the book doesn't mention the IMF until page 354 and shock therapy only obliquely。 Instead， the final sections of the work focus on a combination of historical Russian imperialism and nationalist Ukrainian historical myth to promote a narrative that includes both Holocaust denial （"Holomodor"） and mystif US think tank revisionism， like Snyder and Applebaum should be driven out of historiography of the region。 Unfortunately， this book fits well into the tradition。 Pro west， pro US interventionism， the book doesn't mention the IMF until page 354 and shock therapy only obliquely。 Instead， the final sections of the work focus on a combination of historical Russian imperialism and nationalist Ukrainian historical myth to promote a narrative that includes both Holocaust denial （"Holomodor"） and mystification of the recent US-European-NATO contributions to the current Ukrainian disaster。 The Ukrainian people at present are pawns between Russian revanchists and Western con artists and those who read this book will not realize that fact。 。。。more
Cristine Braddy
，
Due to the current invasion of Ukraine， I wanted to learn more about the history of Ukraine。 It is clear that the history of Ukraine is complicated。 I struggled through most of the history until the modern era。 It was hard to keep it all straight。 I would like to go back through it and try to get a better grasp of the history and the implications of that history。 In the end， I was saddened by the way this group of people has been treated。
Cneeduy
，