The Ukraine is a historically new construction. Until the late 19th century, the Ukraine was merely a region, and 100% of its inhabitants, the Ukrainians, or Rusyns (Ruthenians) as they were called in areas under Austria at that time, considered that their language, or whatever regional dialect they spoke, was Russian (“Russka mova”), and they had zero political awareness or identity separate from Russia (with the exception of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, who were Cossacks, not as presently described, “Ukrainian Cossacks”, LOL.)
The concept of a “Ukrainian language” and the associated identity was constructed in areas under Austrian rule (parts of Galicia and Volhynia), with Austrian support and state financing, immediately after the local iteration of the 1848 revolutions, as a way to quell pro-Russian irredentism among landowners and the Russian Orthodox church in the region. From here on, the Galician literary dialect was also set as the “one and only” Ukrainian language, similar to how the dialect of Florence became “standard Italian.”
Due to Russia’s backwardness, the Russian Empire was unable to standardize its linguistic landscape in the same manner as the Germans and French had largely done by prior to World War 1, or World War 2 at the latest. That process requires compulsory schooling and mass literacy, which Russia did not have until Soviet days. Hence, by the time of the Russian Revolution, the Galician Ukrainist movement had been able to gain some marginal but elite following throughout all territories that spoke Ukrainian dialects rather than “Great Russian.”
This was subsequently channeled, with the Russian collapse of 1917-1918, into the formation of the Ukrainian breakaway state. After this was put down by the Bolsheviks (first and foremost, Ukrainian urban Bolsheviks from Kharkov and what’s today called Donetsk), it again came to life under German rule with the Galician-based Banderist movement.
Most Ukrainians did not vote for independence from the USSR in 1991, but the republic was abandoned by Yeltsin, and thus, had independence thrust upon it. There was a general lack of enthusiasm for the state, a lack of understanding as to its purpose, especially as by this time, almost all Ukrainian citizens spoke Russian as their language of work, at least, and among well over half of the population, of the home as well. In short, there was a near-total ideological vacuum.
The only people who had an ideology… were, well, guess who.
Today, excepting the far northwest, with its dominant Greek Catholic church, the Ukraine is still so similar to Russia (culturally there is ZERO difference)…..
…..that the ONLY way any Ukrainian leadership can aim to make its state distinct, to justify its own rule, is to invent a completely fictitious, phony history of some coherent, historical “Ukraine” that never existed (their school history textbooks are a RIOT)…..
…..and to adopt a “supremacist”, Russian-exclusionist approach and ideology. Like, “We’re not Russian goddamn it, we were never Russian, we will cut the Russian out of us, perhaps slowly, perhaps quickly if we can, but we’ll get rid of it, because the Ukraine isn’t big enough for minorities or two nationalities, so, someone needs to get steamrolled.”
In short, fascism.
The Ukrainian state (under German protection) of 1918, and then again with the Banderist movement (again under German protection, or benign neglect at least) during WW2 and then in exile… were explicitly fascistic. The former, even before the term existed.
I wrote last summer or so, that any independent Ukrainian entity will ALWAYS arrive at fascism as its governing ideology. It just took much longer this time (since 1991), in part because of the dominance of Russian cultural and professional media (and the difficulty in re-Ukrainizing in the absence of a sufficient written base and professional need) and the enormous cross-border family bonds left over from Soviet days.
But, it happened.
Obviously, Uncle Sam has taken advantage of this to establish his 51st state on the territory of the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Obviously, the majority of Ukrainian officials, educators, etc., are just there to get paid. Like people everywhere, they go along and are not driving the ideology.
What a great one. If you are not familiar with New Model Army they are one of the few I listen to for lyrical content. Songs like "The White Coats" were an entry point for me in 1989, but they have so many amazing songs about fighting for people instead of country.
"My Country" should be everyone's anthem right now, but follow up with "Here Comes the War", "Ocean Rising" and "Today is a Good Day" (which was about Wall Street on it's worst day).
I can't say my mind was changed the first time I heard the song as a wee lad. In the last 20 years as US political power has shifted from Red to Blue and back again with nothing changing for the better for the bottom 60-80% of the country.
I became aware (I'm slow that way) that the song's chorus doesn't apply just to violent revolutions, but to most all US politicians since Bill Clinton decided it was time for the Ds to cash in like the Rs.
Love Mischief Brew, had not heard this song before, thanks for sharing! Some recommendations for you all; Popular Wobbly - the Project (favorite version currently) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0vyzLc-prU
I can't really point to one song, and I don't think AC/DC's "Hells Bells" is quite in the spirit of this exercise. However, 1960's The Who songs like "Substitute" and "The Seeker" work for me. Although not strictly political, both tunes make an off-beat critique of the culture they're embedded in; the Kinks "I am an Ape Man" also checks this box, as does "White Lines" by Mellie Mel/Grandmaster Flash, and "NWO" by Ministry when feeling feisty, because "We're not going to make that same mistake..."
The last Woodkid release deals subtly with climate change and choices made as well. S16 is well worth checking out, the videos kinda bring it home in a way that can be missed by lyrics.
We're going live right now in the substack app chat section https://t.co/FG21aq0vXN
THANKS !! And - about new and 51st US state:
Jacob Dreizin – March 16 -- https://thedreizinreport.com/2023/03/15/silicon-valley-bank-and-donetsk/
As for the Nazism, they can’t avoid it.
A Short History of Ukraine State
The Ukraine is a historically new construction. Until the late 19th century, the Ukraine was merely a region, and 100% of its inhabitants, the Ukrainians, or Rusyns (Ruthenians) as they were called in areas under Austria at that time, considered that their language, or whatever regional dialect they spoke, was Russian (“Russka mova”), and they had zero political awareness or identity separate from Russia (with the exception of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, who were Cossacks, not as presently described, “Ukrainian Cossacks”, LOL.)
The concept of a “Ukrainian language” and the associated identity was constructed in areas under Austrian rule (parts of Galicia and Volhynia), with Austrian support and state financing, immediately after the local iteration of the 1848 revolutions, as a way to quell pro-Russian irredentism among landowners and the Russian Orthodox church in the region. From here on, the Galician literary dialect was also set as the “one and only” Ukrainian language, similar to how the dialect of Florence became “standard Italian.”
Due to Russia’s backwardness, the Russian Empire was unable to standardize its linguistic landscape in the same manner as the Germans and French had largely done by prior to World War 1, or World War 2 at the latest. That process requires compulsory schooling and mass literacy, which Russia did not have until Soviet days. Hence, by the time of the Russian Revolution, the Galician Ukrainist movement had been able to gain some marginal but elite following throughout all territories that spoke Ukrainian dialects rather than “Great Russian.”
This was subsequently channeled, with the Russian collapse of 1917-1918, into the formation of the Ukrainian breakaway state. After this was put down by the Bolsheviks (first and foremost, Ukrainian urban Bolsheviks from Kharkov and what’s today called Donetsk), it again came to life under German rule with the Galician-based Banderist movement.
Most Ukrainians did not vote for independence from the USSR in 1991, but the republic was abandoned by Yeltsin, and thus, had independence thrust upon it. There was a general lack of enthusiasm for the state, a lack of understanding as to its purpose, especially as by this time, almost all Ukrainian citizens spoke Russian as their language of work, at least, and among well over half of the population, of the home as well. In short, there was a near-total ideological vacuum.
The only people who had an ideology… were, well, guess who.
Today, excepting the far northwest, with its dominant Greek Catholic church, the Ukraine is still so similar to Russia (culturally there is ZERO difference)…..
…..that the ONLY way any Ukrainian leadership can aim to make its state distinct, to justify its own rule, is to invent a completely fictitious, phony history of some coherent, historical “Ukraine” that never existed (their school history textbooks are a RIOT)…..
…..and to adopt a “supremacist”, Russian-exclusionist approach and ideology. Like, “We’re not Russian goddamn it, we were never Russian, we will cut the Russian out of us, perhaps slowly, perhaps quickly if we can, but we’ll get rid of it, because the Ukraine isn’t big enough for minorities or two nationalities, so, someone needs to get steamrolled.”
In short, fascism.
The Ukrainian state (under German protection) of 1918, and then again with the Banderist movement (again under German protection, or benign neglect at least) during WW2 and then in exile… were explicitly fascistic. The former, even before the term existed.
I wrote last summer or so, that any independent Ukrainian entity will ALWAYS arrive at fascism as its governing ideology. It just took much longer this time (since 1991), in part because of the dominance of Russian cultural and professional media (and the difficulty in re-Ukrainizing in the absence of a sufficient written base and professional need) and the enormous cross-border family bonds left over from Soviet days.
But, it happened.
Obviously, Uncle Sam has taken advantage of this to establish his 51st state on the territory of the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Obviously, the majority of Ukrainian officials, educators, etc., are just there to get paid. Like people everywhere, they go along and are not driving the ideology.
Howdy Useful Idiots--Welcome to the Machine/Have a Cigar
What did You Dream?
It’s alright we told you what to Dream
Well of course Roger Waters must be in this list! Excellent choice
This is my current favorite: https://youtu.be/yQKlfQsRaHk
🩸/ 💧
NATO show is over -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6De_nPqZxXI
What a great one. If you are not familiar with New Model Army they are one of the few I listen to for lyrical content. Songs like "The White Coats" were an entry point for me in 1989, but they have so many amazing songs about fighting for people instead of country.
"My Country" should be everyone's anthem right now, but follow up with "Here Comes the War", "Ocean Rising" and "Today is a Good Day" (which was about Wall Street on it's worst day).
https://youtu.be/ufivG2ykm00
Well, there is one song that comes to mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDfAdHBtK_Q
I can't say my mind was changed the first time I heard the song as a wee lad. In the last 20 years as US political power has shifted from Red to Blue and back again with nothing changing for the better for the bottom 60-80% of the country.
I became aware (I'm slow that way) that the song's chorus doesn't apply just to violent revolutions, but to most all US politicians since Bill Clinton decided it was time for the Ds to cash in like the Rs.
Ha! Great pick.
Love Mischief Brew, had not heard this song before, thanks for sharing! Some recommendations for you all; Popular Wobbly - the Project (favorite version currently) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0vyzLc-prU
If I Had a Hammer - David Rovics (the story at the beginning is great) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU7Nq3OXUBk
https://youtu.be/kveooWmqqr8
"Like a rolling stone" by Bob Dylan inspired me, when I was young.
I can't really point to one song, and I don't think AC/DC's "Hells Bells" is quite in the spirit of this exercise. However, 1960's The Who songs like "Substitute" and "The Seeker" work for me. Although not strictly political, both tunes make an off-beat critique of the culture they're embedded in; the Kinks "I am an Ape Man" also checks this box, as does "White Lines" by Mellie Mel/Grandmaster Flash, and "NWO" by Ministry when feeling feisty, because "We're not going to make that same mistake..."
The Ballad of Penny Evans Steve Goodman
The last Woodkid release deals subtly with climate change and choices made as well. S16 is well worth checking out, the videos kinda bring it home in a way that can be missed by lyrics.
And - here is Prof. Sachs:
https://youtu.be/6De_nPqZxXI