Timothy Snyder, The Making of Modern Ukraine, Lecture #1: Ukrainian Questions Posed by Russian Invasion
Given the importance of the war in Ukraine, I thought it would be prudent to learn more about Ukraine, for despite the fact that I majored in history, I know nothing about the history of eastern Europe. Timothy Snyder’s course, The Making of Modern Ukraine, which has been generously posted on Youtube, has given me that opportunity. This is a pivotal moment in history, so I feel a need to understand all that I can.
For those who are unfamiliar with Timothy Snyder, he is a Yale historian whose focus is on Central and Eastern Europe. His book, “Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin,” is not only meticulously researched, it is essential reading if we are to understand WWII and its aftermath.
I have undertaken to summarize Snyder’s lectures, because, like most historians, Snyder has a tendency to digress, getting off track with asides. Even though these digressions are interesting, they can sometimes make it difficult to focus on the main points. My summaries are meant to be a guide, rather than a substitution for Snyder’s enlightening lectures. I have, naturally, added my own parenthetical comments, because, like most historians, I have a tendency to digress.
You can watch the first lecture for The Making of Modern Ukraine here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJczLlwp-d8
The syllabus for the course is here: https://snyder.substack.com/p/syllabus-of-my-ukraine-lecture-class
In Timothy Snyder’s first lecture, he asked his students what history was. All of the answers were on the mark, but what Synder was aiming for was something very specific: The definition of history as something eternal and static. This definition is, of course, dead wrong. History is not static, or eternal. Anything that fits into those two categories is actually mythology. The myth that Putin dressed up as “history” is that Ukraine was always “part” of Russia and that the Russian people and Ukrainian people are one.
Not only is this objectively false when it comes to actual history (Ukraine’s earliest recorded people were Greeks and Jews, and after that came the territory’s incorporation into multiple empires), it can’t possibly be the excuse for an invasion. If Russians and Ukrainians are posited to be “one people” there would be no need to invade them. (And even more to the point, Kiev was established before Moscow, so according to Putin’s argument, Russia is actually “part” of Ukraine, and therefore Ukraine should be invading Russia.)
All wars are based on control of resources. Even so-called religious wars are about controlling resources. (The most important resource of them all is, in fact, people.) Ukraine has been the coveted object of desire for centuries because of its mineral resources, its fabulous “black earth,” its access to the Black Sea and thus shipping lanes, its strategic location between east and west, and, most importantly during its early history, its equally strategic location between north and south. Just about everyone, from Vikings to Habsburgs to Nazis to the Soviets, has fought over Ukraine.
I’m sure Snyder will get to all that later. Meanwhile, as a former history major, I am delighted to be able to have access to his course. It’s already proving to be food for thought.
Erica Verrillo is the author of three MG fantasies (Random House). Her short work has appeared in over a dozen publications. She is also the author of the definitive reference guide for treating myalgic encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide, now in its second edition (first edition, St. Martin’s). She holds degrees from Tufts University (BA — History) and Syracuse University (MA — Linguistics) as well as doctoral work in Anthropology and Speech Communication. Her professional life includes working as Spanish language editor for Mesoamerica, linguistics instructor (Dartmouth), classical musician (Oxford Symphony Orchestra), director of a non-profit NGO for Mayan refugees, and Mayan linguist (SUNY Albany). She is the president of the American Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to to serving the needs of patients and caregivers through support, advocacy, and education. Her blog, Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity has received nearly 8 million page views. You are all welcome to visit.
