Subjects:  1. Africa - General    2. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. Military - General    7. Biography: historical    8. European history: from c 1900 -    9. Nursing & Ancillary Services    10. Ukraine    11. War & defence operations    12. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (2)

Chilling work
I don't know why this book did not get good reviews from our esteemed Amazon customers. This book details the immense hardship in the Reichkommisariat Ukraine ruled by the "brutal dog" Erich Koch. It gives many examples of Ukrainians being executed for the smallest reasons like having a knife or looking like a 'bandit'. The chapter of starvation in Kiev is eye opening as most people don't know the starvation that effected occupied Soviet cities and large towns due to economic exploitation and stealing by the German occupiers. The chapters dealing with the elimination of the Jews, Roma, and POW's are poignant. Another reason why this book is great is the author's great sympathy for the Ukrainian people who in the west are all regarded as Nazis. The truth of the fact is that 20% of Ukrainians died as a result of Nazi rule or at the front fighting in the Red Army. Also few books deal with the sufferings of the Slavic peoples of the Soviet Union who were considered Untermenschen (subhumans) by the Germans. This book is well worth it if you want to know the tremendous suffering of the Soviet peoples in their Great Patriotic War.
Better than most books on an overdone subject
The author's main purpose seems to be to usurp the title of the recent film documentary called Harvest of Despair by Leonard Klady about the Great Ukrainian Famine-Holocaust of 1932-33, and to discredit the many well-documented facts and figures in the film. There is nothing like getting attention from your enemies. Mr. Berkhoff's book only confirms the importance of the documentary film, even as it sets out to castigate, once again, the Ukrainian people as anti-semitic nazi sympathizers and collaborators. While a number of individulas did engage in deplorable anti-Jewish activities, the insinuations that Ukrainians and others as people, as an ethnic group are somehow guilty and even, as Morley Safer once put it on "60 Minutes", "genetically anti-smitic", is totally irresponsible and unacceptable. The Holocaust business is extremely sensitive to competition, especially to any from Ukrainians. And that, I believe, is one of Mr. Berkhoff's reasons for his book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. German occupation, 1941-1944    2. Germany    3. Germany.    4. History    5. History - Military / War    6. History: World    7. Military - World War II    8. Reichskommissariat fur die Uk    9. Reichskommissariat fèur die Ukraine    10. Ukraine    11. European history: Second World War    12. History / Military / World War II   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Anti-communist movements    3. Autonomy and independence movements    4. Eastern Europe - Poland    5. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    6. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    7. History    8. History - General History    9. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    10. Political Science    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Ukraine    13. Ukraine, Western    14. European history: from c 1900 -    15. History / General    16. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Forestry    2. Czech Republic    3. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    4. Environmental Science    5. Forest management    6. Hungary    7. Interior Design - General    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Poland    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Ukraine    13. Conservation of the environment    14. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS   

Reviews (3)

Wonderful to read for an understanding of Ukraine
From pre-history to Independence in 1991, this book surveys the history of Ukraine and its people. It is unique in not only portraying the history of the Ukrainian people but also includes the other peoples who live or have lived in the land now known as Ukraine. A History of Ukraine--Magocsi
A beautifully written history of outstanding excellence. I have found it most helpful. Professor Magocsi is to be commended on a another success.

Excellent Reference on Ukrainian History
Mr. Magocsi's "History of Ukraine" often takes a second billing to Mr. Subtelny's "Ukraine: A History" - and I think, unfairly. Both have a lot to offer, and frankly, no passionate student of Ukrainain history should choose one over the other. He or she should get both. A wealth of information, and first rate scholarship are impressive. Mr. Magocsi has done a first rate job. Mychajlo Hrushevsky would approve of both, and we should too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Kievan Rus    6. Russia - History    7. Ukraine    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. Russia   

Subjects:  1. (Vladimir Ivanovich),    2. 1863-1945    3. Biography    4. Geologists    5. History    6. History Of Science    7. Science    8. Science and state    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Soviet Union    11. Ukraine    12. Vernadskii, V. I    13. Vernadskiæi, V. I.    14. Europe    15. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)   

Reviews (3)

Fantastic book
This book takes you right into the Chernobyl disaster. From the bungling government and perverse incentives placed on the nuclear engineer teams which made it a disaster just waiting to happen, to the clean up, evacuation (largely also botched) and health effects of the nuclear fallout.
Is there really No Breathing Room?
I thought this was a very good novel.I used this on several occations as a document for research papers I have wrote on the subject of Nuclear power and Chernobyl.The author is very accurate and shows the world what goes on behind the scenes.

A little too technical for me.
I bought this book hoping for a general introduction to the explosion, its causes and its aftermath. The book does contain such information, but it's buried underneath a heavy layer of technical detail that can be, at times, mind-numbingly boring. Unless you are a nuclear engineer or otherwise interested in the minutiae of the reactor's workings, I'd skip this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Ch    2. Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Chornobyl§, Ukraine, 1986    3. Environmental aspects    4. General    5. History: World    6. Nuclear Energy    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Radioactive pollution    9. Safety   

Reviews (10)

Excellent book
This is an excellent book, beautifully written and presented. I have not (yet) visited Ukraine, but it is my intention to visit Lvov and Kiev (I have spelt them the 'old way' not the Ukrainian way) in the near future. Mrs. Savage's book conveys a real 'feel' for Ukraine and a real love. Even without interest in Ukraine, her story is a most interesting and compelling one for any lecturer or teacher living in a strange country.

More Than Just a Travelog
Anna Savage left Ukraine as a little girl during the chaos of World War II and returned as an American journalist shortly after Ukraine became an independent country in 1991These bookends of her life provide the context for a detailed portrait of life in post-communist Ukraine, historical background necessary to understand that portrait and one family's search for its roots.Ms. Savage is able to combine her journalist's eye for a story with her family's stories about a homeland she scarcely recalls. She is also very honest in depicting the reactions of herself, her mother and her aunt upon return to a homeland that is now less than idyllic.

return to ukraine
Excellent book. It gives the reader a mixture of a travelogue and bits of history.Highly recommended for persons that intend to travel to Ukraine, conduct some business and especially for the diplomats, not familiar with Ukraine. There are some minor historical inaccuracies, but in general it is an excellent source for people not familiar with that part of the world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1981-    2. Description And Travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    5. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    6. Former Soviet Republics - History - Post Cold War (1991-)    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Russia    11. Savage, Ania    12. Ukraine    13. Biography: general    14. Cultural studies    15. European studies    16. c 1990 to c 2000   

Reviews (6)

Highly Readable Account of an Obscure but Important Battle
Firstly it must be said that this narrative is told from a distinctly Swedish perspective. The Russian forces are largely faceless and there nowhere near the same degree of detail about the Russian forces of Peter the Great as there is those of Charles the XII.
Good book; limited to Swedish perspective
Englund has written a detailed history of a key battle fought between Sweden and Russia in 1709.Although an interesting book it often becomes bogged down in its detail, both in terms of statistics and in terms of its description of the battle.The book is also limited in that it's told exclusively from the Swedish standpoint.There is little, if any, information from the Russian perspective that may have given more insight into how and why the battle evolved as it did.
Excellent!
One word: excellent. Wish more books of that level of quality were written and published. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1682-1718    2. Charles    3. Europe - General    4. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. King of Sweden,    9. Military - Other    10. Modern - 18th Century    11. Poltava, Battle of, Poltava, U    12. Poltava, Battle of, Poltava, Ukraine, 1709    13. XII,    14. Battles & campaigns    15. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    16. History / Russia (pre- & post-Soviet Union)    17. Russia    18. Sweden    19. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (2)

What your history teacher didn't tell you
For those of us who went or are going to school in the United States, it sometimes seems impossible to get a real picture of the Russian Revolution. So much baggage and enmity clogs the works that most of the time only a two dimensional sketch of one of the pivotal periods of modern history can be achieved, leaving out the breadth and complexity of the many players, parties, ideas, struggles, and factions. Most people graduate from high school and even college with the formless impression that "communism" is "bad."
"Let us be dauntless to the point of madness."
Was Ukrainian anarchist Nestor Makhno an out-of-control bandit as Trotsky claimed, or was he a major significant force against both the White Russians and later the Bolsheviks? The phenomenal book "Nestor Makhno-Anarchy's Cossack: The Struggle for Free Soviets in the Ukraine 1917-1921" by Alexandre Skirda examines Makhno's extraordinary--seemingly buried and forgotten--life and his role in Russian history.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Anarchists    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    7. Historical - General    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Revolutionaries    10. Ukraine    11. Biography & Autobiography / General    12. Biography: historical    13. Eastern Europe    14. European history: from c 1900 -    15. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Reviews (1)

Must read for historians and activists alike
This book is a rare historical work which combines readability and depth of insight.While I have read others that also achieve this mark, OIL EMPIRE is one of the few that does so and still maintains the specificity of an academic work.At times I found the author violated Orwell's dictum to use the simplest vocabulary to convey an idea, but this did not distract from the pleasure of reading this book.I tend to focus more on classical histories, and new nothing about the history of Galicia before I started, but I found the the author was able to situate her research so that this was not a problem.When I finished the book I was reminded of the old saying that to understand a large problem we must first understand a small problem.After the events of 9/11 it is no longer just the leftists who assert that control of the oil economy is at the heart of our foreign policy.This book provides a case study of how the same ambitions that we have today were played out on a smaller scale at the turn of the last century.I look forward to seeing what the author has in store for her next work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Economic History    2. Economic conditions    3. Europe - Austria & Hungary    4. Galicia (Poland and Ukraine)    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Industries - Energy Industries    9. Petroleum industry and trade    10. Social conditions    11. Austria    12. European history: from c 1900 -    13. History / Austria & Hungary    14. History of specific subjects    15. Petroleum & oil industries    16. c 1900 - c 1914   

Subjects:  1. Europe, Eastern    2. Foreign relations    3. History    4. International Relations - General    5. Nationalism    6. Political Process - General    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics and government    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Eastern Europe    12. International relations    13. Political Science / International Relations   

Reviews (3)

Revolution from abroad, and inside too
Jan Gross does a commendable job in expanding the studies of World War II Central European History beyond the dominant themes:Poland, and the Holocaust. excellent
According to the Polish national anthem, "Poland is not dead whilst we live. What others took by force, with the sword will be taken back." Both Nazi and Soviet occupiers must have taken these words to heart as they set out thoroughly to crush the Polish population between September 1939 and June 1941. In Revolution from Abroad: the Soviet Conquest of Poland's Western Ukraine and Western Belorusssia, Jan T. Gross (New York University) draws on documents from Polish, German, Israeli, and U.S. archives to show with camera-like precision how ordinary Polish citizens at the grassroots level experienced the Soviet occupation of Poland and the mechanisms Soviet authorities used to induce their participation. U.S. citizens who have never known the horrors of foreign occupation will find this study especially sobering. Polish citizens never knew when a few Soviet soldiers might enter their houses and apartments, live there for several days or weeks, eat their food, and steal their possessions. If they resisted, they faced arrest, torture, and/or execution, often in full view of loved ones. As Soviet soldiers explained to the newly adopted Soviet citizens, "There are three categories of people in the Soviet Union: those who were in jail, those who are in jail, and those who will be in jail." (p. 230). Gross points out that, in sheer numbers, more Polish citizens suffered under Soviet occupation in the first two years of World World II (i.e. before the Nazis' mass annihilation of Jews began) than under German occupation. Whereas the Germans killed approximately 120,000 Poles, the Soviet security police (NKVD) nearly "matched that figure in just two episodes of mass execution" (viz., the mass murder of Polish prisoners of war in the spring of 1940, and the evacuation of prisons in the Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia during June and July 1941). (p. 228). However, despite the Soviets' greater victimization of Polish citizens in terms of loss of life, suffering inflicted by forced resettlement, and material losses through confiscation, Gross argues that, to the Polish and Jewish citizens, the Soviet occupiers seemed less "oppressive." They lacked the "discriminatory contempt" and "�bermensch airs" that the Nazis evinced so imperiously (p. 230). The author explains that perhaps one reason why the Soviet army seemed less oppressive at first is that it claimed to "liberate" Poland. Generally, the population was confused about Soviet intentions, and indeed, "nobody had warned the local community and the authorities that a Bolshevik invasion was possible and what to do in case it occurred" (p. 22). The deceptive slogans of national liberation soothed millions of wishful thinking Polish citizens-Jews, Ukrainians, Belorussians-who "could meet fellow ethnics" in the Red Army or the Soviet administration (p. 230). The stark contrast between soldiers in the Wehrmacht and those in the Red Army - the latter in coats of assorted lengths, with rags wrapped around their shoeless feet -- also made the Soviet occupiers seem less intimidating. Still another reason for the Red Army's cloddish image is the febrile rapaciousness with which the soldiers bought and consumed Polish goods. Expecting to hear discussions of lofty communist ideals, Poles instead saw "in the marketplace how these Soviet people ate eggs, shell and all, horseradish, beets, and other produce. Country women rolled with laughter" (p. 46). In a restaurant "a Red Army soldier might order several courses or a dozen pastries and eat them all on the spot" (p. 46). In comparison to Nazi Germany, then, the Soviet Union struck the Poles as a petty and materialistic "spoiler state." Brilliant analysis of an ignored event of World War II
The main primary source of this book is a collection of thousands of handwritten statements collected by the Polish government in exile when they interviewed the surviving Polish citizens released after the 1942"amnesty" of those detained by the Soviets after 1939.By carefulresearch, crosschecking and comparison with other resources Professor Grosshas been able to produce a work of exceptional clarity and importance inunderstanding the workings of Stalinism in particular and totalitarianismin general.Read more

Subjects:  1. Eastern Europe - General    2. Eastern Europe - Poland    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Occupation, 1939-1945    7. Personal narratives, Polish    8. Poland    9. Soviet occupation, 1939-1941    10. Ukraine, Western    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Belarus (Belorussia)    13. European History    14. European history: Second World War    15. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    16. History / Europe / Eastern    17. Political oppression & persecution    18. Second World War, 1939-1945    19. Ukraine   

Reviews (6)

Incredible heroism through and through
To read this account is to place yourself face to face with the devil of communism.Maria Savchyn's account of her experiences fighting alongside patriots of freedon in Ukraine is both moving and breathtaking.One finds it difficult to even place themselves in the living conditions let alone the dangers she and her colleagues lived day to day: all in the name of forestalling Soviet tyranny and in the hope that one day a democratic Ukraine would be born.
A story of strength and determination
This book is the memoirs of Maria Savchyn who spent 15 years of her life (from the ages of 14 to 29) in the Ukrainian underground army fighting for freedom against first the Nazis and then the Soviets. It is an exciting story of strength and determination in the face of overwhelming opposition.

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: American    4. Military - World War II    5. Personal narratives, Ukrainian    6. Pyskir, Maria Savchyn    7. Ukraine, Western    8. Ukrainska povstanska armii    9. Underground movements    10. Women    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Second World War, 1939-1945    13. True stories: Second World War    14. Ukraine   

Subjects:  1. History    2. History - U.S.    3. History: American    4. United States - State & Local - General    5. History / United States / General   

Reviews (2)

I recommend it
Great book. In a small volume - lots of information and insightful analysis. One of the most interesting themes - development of Jewish political thought, and development of the Zionist idea. And a personal note. I am a Jew from Odessa myself. Reading the book brought me back to my beautiful city, and I couldn't help but recognized many familiar characters, and thought about my family origins. Thank you, Steven!

Excellent choice for your first look at Russian Jewry.
Easy to read and well-researched, this is an excellent book to add to your layperson's repertoire on Ukrainian/Russian Jewish history.I learned a lot about how Jewish people lived, what they did, what they thoughtabout... and how political events shaped their lives. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History Of Jews    5. History: World    6. Europe    7. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    8. Jewish studies    9. Ukraine   

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography / Religious    2. Jewish - General    3. Judaism - Hasidism    4. Judaism - History    5. Judaism - Rituals & Practice    6. Religion    7. Religion - Judaism    8. Biography    9. Dov Baer,    10. Hasidism    11. Rabbis    12. Ukraine    13. d. 1772    14. of Mezhirech,   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Armed Forces    3. Collaborationists    4. Europe    5. Europe - Germany    6. Germany    7. History    8. History - General History    9. Military History - World War II    10. Uniforms    11. World War, 1939-1945    12. Land forces & warfare    13. Second World War, 1939-1945    14. World history: Second World War   

Reviews (3)

Waited a very long time
Waited a very long time to get this item, was told it would be longer and I needed to confirm my order, finally amazon was forced to cancel my order because they couldn't obtain it. If you want to wait for it, its your choice, just know, you may never actually get it. I didn't pay for it though, so its not a problem, but if you are expecting to get the item......you may not be able to.

2nd edition much much better
THis is the second edition, much better laid out. the first edition was like reading a phone book. this is easier to use

Not easy for beginners- Not practical for intermediates
I am just starting out, and Ukie is my husbands first language. We both found this book difficult to deal with. For me, the layout of the book is overwelming and the dialogue is not useful in day to day conversation for a beginner. I passed this book onto my husband who thought he might want to use it to freshen-up on his grammar but again he found the book very impractical in its dialogue and vocabulary. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    2. General    3. History    4. History: World    5. Reference    6. Former Soviet Union, USSR (Europe)    7. Language Teaching & Learning (Other Than ELT)    8. Russian    9. Ukrainian   

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Polish    4. Building, Wooden    5. Gvozdets    6. History - General    7. International Architecture - European    8. Judaism - General    9. Religion    10. Religious Buildings    11. Synagogue architecture    12. Ukraine    13. Jewish studies    14. Judaism    15. Poland    16. Religion / Judaism / General    17. Social history    18. Worship    19. c 1700 to c 1800