Figure 1.--This Ukranian class portrait is undated. It was probably taken in the 1970s. The children kook to be about 9-10 years old. The boys wear blue suits without ties. Some boys have buttoned their collars, some have not. The girls wear dresses, pfribaly blue, with white pinafores.

The chronological assessment of Ukrainian schools is somewhat complicated by changing political situations. Poland and Russia fought over Ukraine (17th century). This was before many children attended any schools. For most of the modern era, Ukraine has been under Russian control, either the Russian Tsarist Empire ( -1917) or the Soviet Union (1917-91). This is complicated by changing boundaries, German occupation during the two world wars and a brief period of disorganized independence during the Civil War following World War I. The education system was dominated by either Tsarist and then Soviet control. In both instances there was an effort to suppress Ukrainian nationalism and culture and education was used in this process. Ukraine itself was culturally divided between an orthodox east and Catholic west. The Catholic west had a stronger degree of contact with the West than most other Tsarist provinces except the Baltics and Poland -- countries which briefly obtained their independence after World War I (1914-17). An independent Ukraine came into existence after centuries of subjugation (1992). At first, Ukraine contined to be controlled by former Soviet Apparatchiks. This did not change until the Orange Revolution which defeated President Putin's effort to retain control (2004). This finally afforded affording the opportunity to establish a Ukrainian educational system free to promote Ukrainian nationalism and culture and turn to the West. President Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine to prevent the desire of Ukrainians to be a free and independent nation (2022).

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Created: 5:13 PM 2/27/2005
Last updated: 5:13 PM 2/27/2005