A Legacy of Empire: Russian Imperialism and the Survival of the Ukrainian State

Date of Graduation

Fall 1994

Degree

Master of Science in Defense and Strategic Studies

Department

Defense and Strategic Studies

Committee Chair

William Van Cleave

Abstract

Throughout most of its history, Russia has been undemocratic and imperialistic. These two traits have continuously nurtured each other, helpng create the proper historical conditions for the construction of both the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union's empire. Though the Soviet Union has collapsed, all of Russia's history has not been rendered irrelevant and there are strong indications that Russia will not soon develop into a stable democracy that is not imperialistically inclined. Rather, it appears that Russia is near abroad. This trend may be expected to manifest in the future, especially in areas such as Ukraine that have long socio-historical links to Russia. This does not bode well for the survival of the Ukrainian state as it is presently constituted. Ukraine already suffers from political instability and economic turmoil; Russian imperialism could result in its partial or complete destruction.

Subject Categories

Defense and Security Studies

Copyright

© C. Dale Walton

Citation-only

Dissertation/Thesis

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