The Origins of the Slavic Nations
Premodern Identities in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus

A study of the origins of the modern Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian nations.

Serhii Plokhy (Author)

9780521155113, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 19 August 2010

400 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.59 kg

"Plokhy's book is not only a masterful synthesis of Russian, Ukranian, and Belarusian national historiography from the medieval chroniclers to the present day...but also represents a major, original contribution to understanding the formation of national identities in the region." -Robert H. Greene, Journal of World History

This book documents developments in the countries of eastern Europe, including the rise of authoritarian tendencies in Russia and Belarus, as well as the victory of the democratic 'Orange Revolution' in Ukraine, and poses important questions about the origins of the East Slavic nations and the essential similarities or differences between their cultures. It traces the origins of the modern Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian nations by focusing on pre-modern forms of group identity among the Eastern Slavs. It also challenges attempts to 'nationalize' the Rus' past on behalf of existing national projects, laying the groundwork for understanding of the pre-modern history of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The book covers the period from the Christianization of Kyivan Rus' in the tenth century to the reign of Peter I and his eighteenth-century successors, by which time the idea of nationalism had begun to influence the thinking of East Slavic elites.

Introduction
1. The origins of Rus'
2. What happened to the Rus' land?
3. The Lithuanian solution
4. The rise of Muscovy
5. The making of the Ruthenian nation
6. Was there a reunification?
7. The invention of Russia
8. Ruthenia, little Russia, Ukraine
Conclusions.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], European history [HBJD], Regional studies [GTB]