Marples, David R.

English

Histoire sociale / Social History (E-Journal, York University)

Comptes rendus / Book Reviews 209hand, Over the Edge answers the call put forth more that a decade ago by Limerick,Cronon, White, Worster, and others for a more inclusive, postcolonial vision of theWest. On the other, there is a tendency to deconstruct the West  a fundamentalquestioning of the usefulness of a regional approach to American history. This posi-tion, a child of postmodern scepticism, contrasts with the confidence, moral author-ity, and a commitment to the Truth that motivated the generation of New Western(New Left) historians who came of age during the 1960s and 1970s. Nevertheless,the call for an analytical vision beyond parochial, regional, and strictly nationalinterpretations  which echoes Earl Pomeroys criticisms of a half-century ago is particularly relevant as we enter a twenty-first century increasingly marked bytransglobal capitalism and consumer culture. Regrettably, despite all the hullabalooabout multiple points of view, the editors and contributors demonstrate a predictableAmerican myopia with regard to Canada and the northern borderlands.Melinda Marie JettéUniversity of British ColumbiaBohdan Nahaylo  The Ukrainian Resurgence. Toronto: University of TorontoPress, 1999. Pp. xix, 608.During the 1980s and early 1990s, Bohdan Nahaylo was a regular contributor toRadio Libertys bulletins on Ukraine and eventually he became the head of the RLUkrainian Service in Munich, which monitored closely the Russian and Ukrainianmedia. Thus he was in an excellent position to observe the dramatic changes thatoccurred after 1985. One result is this superb monograph, which constitutes essen-tial reading for anyone interested in this critical period of Ukrainian history that hasseen the re-emergence of the Ukrainian state. It is based primarily on reports fromUkrainian newspapers of the period and supplemented by the authors own inter-views with many of the participants.The book is long and detailed. At first glance, its title might raise questions. Bywhat precise period is the term resurgence defined? The volume encompasses anentire decade, 1985 to 1995, but the events of the last four years have seen the coun-try experience a number of crises. Taken overall, however, the title seems appropri-ate. For all its economic problems, Ukraine has not compromised on the question ofindependence, which is more solidly entrenched in 2000 than it was in 1992.Ukraine is now very much part of the international consciousness, even though itsidentity as a specifically European state remains to be defined.Nahaylo divides his text into 18 chapters, and approximately four-fifths of thebook is devoted to the period prior to the end of the Soviet Union, with the first twochapters examining the historical background (mainly the Soviet era). The emphasisis on political, cultural, and religious events rather than economic and social issues,though very little of significance has been omitted, including the repercussions ofChernobyl and the miners strikes and protests of 19891991.There are several notable insights, including Nahaylos objective and careful210 Histoire sociale / Social Historyreappraisal of many leading personalities of the period. Even former CommunistParty of Ukraine leader Volodymyr Shcherbytsky, long seen as the archetypal hard-line Communist, emerges as a deeper and conflicting personality.It is ... surprising that Shcherbytskys former colleagues speak very highly of him. Theyconsider him to have been a very capable politician and administrator  a dedicatedtechnocrat who understood the workings of the economy and who got on well with thedirectors of the republics large enterprises.... They also claim that, compared to manyother high-ranking Soviet officials at that time, Shcherbytsky did not tolerate corruptionwithin his inner circle and was relatively modest when it came to accruing decorationsand privileges. (pp. 5051)Many of the initial steps toward democratization in Ukraine were prompted bythe bold stance of another Communist, the writer Borys Oliinyk, whereas the initialfounders of Rukh  particularly Ivan Drach  are depicted as cautious and essen-tially conservative figures, who advanced tentatively while trying to conciliate theCPU leadership. The same applies to Green World founder and future Ukrainianambassador to the United States, Yurii Shcherbak. This was a time of numerous con-tradictions, when reformers could be reactionaries on critical issues and vice-versa.This was particularly the case in the Communist camp, which was thrown into con-fusion by the initiatives emanating from the Gorbachev leadership in Moscow.Of the portraits developed in the book from the latter, that of Leonid Kravchuk isoutstanding. The transformation of the man who most adamantly opposed the for-mation of Rukh to the figure who became Ukraines first president and symbol ofindependence appears truly remarkable, and yet Nahaylo demonstrates that the char-acter of Kravchuk did not change substantially. Kravchuk was a clever politicalopportunist, and there is no better indication of this fact than the description of hisactions during the abortive putsch in Moscow of August 1021, 1991 (p. 374), whenhe declined to oppose the plotters openly but was somehow able to justify hisactions before harsh critics in parliament in the aftermath of the putsch.The achievement of independence in August 1991 should not be underestimated.It was not a chain reaction to the events in Moscow. Nahaylo chronicles the majorevents that brought Ukraine to this juncture: the formation of Rukh and other politi-cal groups; the opening of churches, particularly in western Ukraine; the betrayalof Shcherbytskys successor and Chairman of the Supreme Soviet VolodymyrIvashko, who agreed to become Gorbachevs deputy in Moscow in the summer of1990; the debate over and declaration of sovereignty in July 1990; the debate overthe new Union Treaty; and the students hunger strike in Kyiv in October 1990,which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Vitalii Masol and revitalized the wan-ing campaign of the national democrats.At each stage of events, the reformers faced formidable obstacles. Internationalleaders who today base their reputations primarily on their roles in helping the Westwin the Cold War hardly endeared themselves to residents of Ukraine during thiscritical period. Margaret Thatcher, for example, told Ukrainians in June 1990 thatshe had no wish to see the disintegration of the U.S.S.R. George Bushs notoriousComptes rendus / Book Reviews 211Chicken Kiev speech of August 1991, in which he warned Ukrainians of the dan-gers of suicidal nationalism, is also well known. The CPU was one of the mostmonolithic and repressive of all republican Communist parties and, as Nahayloshows, opposed the Rukh and democratization at every step.According to the author, when independence was declared, it was on the initiativeof figures such as Dmytro Pavlychko and Volodymyr Yavorivsky and of the Peo-ples Council in general, but, paradoxically, the declaration provided a way out of aseemingly impossible impasse for the more reform-minded Communist Party lead-ers after the collapse of the putsch in Moscow. Citing Mykola Shulhas remark thatWe were like blind kittens who had found a way out, the author illustrates theGreat Compromise of Ukrainian politics: the formation of an independent Ukrainianstate. In this way, the liberal Communist faction could maintain its hold on powerwhile satisfying all sides other than the hard-line Communists under StanislavHurenko.While narrating this fascinating series of events, the author is at pains to depictexternal events that influenced the directions being taken in Ukraine. Ukraine isnever regarded in isolation from its neighbours, as indeed it could never have actedin isolation. Most frequently, the Baltic states directed the tempo and relations withRussia that provided the impetus. By 1990, however, Ukrainians (like Russians) hadbecome disillusioned with the Gorbachev regime and began to define their owncourse.The final chapters of the book represent something of an anti-climax. They pro-vide a condensed portrait of a nation struggling to survive  indeed one section (p.465) is entitled On the Verge of Catastrophe  in the face of seemingly insur-mountable obstacles: the declaration of independence by the Crimean republic,hyperinflation, a financial-energy crisis in 1993, and a gradual but serious deteriora-tion in relations with Russia. The author provides two conclusions, in effect, one atthe end of the regular text and one in a postscript. The former maintains that, in spiteof various problems, Ukraine has succeeded in achieving and maintaining indepen-dence. The latter indicates that, with the approach of the twenty-first century,Ukrainian resurgence in modern times hung in the balance.One could argue that the two conclusions are not contradictory. Independence hasbeen preserved, but the resurgence has ended. Instead, the observer perceives a statethat has to deal first with questions of economic reform and standards of living asopposed to discussions on borders, fleets, or nuclear weapons. The key issues are nolonger the right to free speech or assembly and the formation of a pluralistic system,but rather the elimination of debt, resolving the question of the shutdown of Cherno-byl, and convincing the Economic Union that Ukraine would be a reliable associate(if not a full) member. Ukraine is no longer the breadbasket of Europe or even apowerful industrial base noted for coal, chemicals, and steel. It must redefine itsindustrial development, its role in a technological age, and its place in the Europeanstructures, while maintaining good relations with Russia.In retrospect, the period of 1985 to 1991 will likely be perceived as the most dra-matic and most tempestuous in Ukrainian history. It has elicited more discussionthan any previous period, but hitherto no scholarly monograph has described it in212 Histoire sociale / Social Historyfull or chronicled practically all aspects of these turbulent times. Thus, while infuture political scientists and historians may question isolated aspects of or state-ments in Nahaylos book, they will nonetheless be forever indebted to him for hisefforts, his objectivity and balance, and his meticulousness in compiling informa-tion, particularly for the years 1989 to 1991.David R. MarplesUniversity of AlbertaH. V. Nelles  The Art of Nation-Building: Pageantry and Spectacle at Quebec’sTercentenary. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. Pp. x, 397.La jaquette de cet ouvrage attire et intrigue. Elle reproduit deux tableaux évoquant lasomptueuse mise en scène des fêtes du tricentenaire de la fondation de Québec en1608. Ensuite, elle porte un titre équivoque : le livre de H. V. Nelles parle-t-il delart politique de fabriquer une nation ou de la production artistique qui symbolisecette nation en construction, ou des deux? Pourquoi aussi distinguer pageantry etspectacle : le pageant nest-il pas un spectacle? Mais peut-être le spectacle se pro-duit-il aussi en-dehors du pageant... Et puis, de quelle nation traite un livre sur le tri-centenaire de Québec?Les commémorations quétudie Nelles ont eu lieu à Québec à lété de 1908. Ilsagit surtout du tricentenaire de la fondation de la ville par Champlain en juillet,mais aussi des fêtes du bicentenaire de la mort de monseigneur de Laval, tenuesquelques jours auparavant. Si la fête de Laval a respecté une syntaxe traditionnelle(messes, processions et inauguration dune imposante statue), celle du tricentenairea été unique en son genre : spectacles historiques (pageants) mobilisant des milliersdacteurs et de figurants (une première en Amérique), revues militaires et policières,visite du prince de Galles et de toutes les personnalités canadiennes de premier plan,mouillage dune escadre navale internationale, remises de titres et de décorations,banquets, bals et feux dartifices, le tout léguant au public le parc des Champs debataille nationaux.Jusquà récemment, cette célébration avait attiré peu de chercheurs et navait étélobjet daucune synthèse critique. Létude de Nelles comble donc un vide, en parti-culier dans le domaine des usages publics du passé, où la production canadienne estindigente. Mais lauteur ne sest pas contenté détudier un phénomène car, tel uncicérone, il entraîne ses lecteurs vers les archives, fouillant devant eux les boîtes, lesspicilèges, les correspondances officielles et privées et les journaux, partageant aveceux son enthousiasme.Le premier chapitre décrit ces pageants qui furent la pièce maîtresse du tricen-tenaire. Les quatre chapitres suivants décrivent par le menu la transformation en fêtecanadienne et impériale de ce qui devait être au départ une célébration canadienne-française suscitée par la Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste locale. Nelles souligne lactivitédébridée du gouverneur général, lord Grey, auprès des autorités civiles, militaires etreligieuses, et lhabileté avec laquelle il convertit la célébration momentanée de lanaissance de la Nouvelle-France en une commémoration permanente de sa chute sur

Bohdan Nahaylo — The Ukrainian Resurgence

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Bohdan Nahaylo — The Ukrainian Resurgence

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Histoire sociale / Social History (E-Journal, York University)