Ukraine and the Granite Revolution [individual assignment]
UKRAINE AND THE GRANITE REVOLUTION
As the Soviet Union began to crumble, dissidents who had hidden from the government began to feel free to organize publicly. In this atmosphere, the Ukrainian Student Union was launched in August 1989. During this time the Communist Party was losing popularity in Ukraine; however, when the elections for the Verkhovna Rada were held in 1990, the Communists got a majority of the seats and the democratic forces got only 126 seats. Many young people were dissatisfied with the democratic forces holding only a third of seats in the parliament. At a People’s Movement of Ukraine (Rukh)’s conference, student Oles Donii declared that the democrats ought to win a majority. The Student Union intensified its work and began to prepare for a large-scale protest.
On October 2, the students announced a hunger strike and occupied the square that was to be called Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti). Thus, began the 16-day protest which had five demands:1
• preventing the signing of a new Union Treaty;
• holding a multiparty Verkhovna Rada election no later than the spring of 1991;
• returning Ukrainian soldiers to the USSR and military service for young Ukrainians exclusively on the territory of the republic;
• the nationalization of the property of the Communist Party of Ukraine and Komsomol;
• the resignation of the Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers Vitalii Masol.
This hunger strike was well organized by the Ukrainian Student Association and supported by the Lviv Student Association. Tents, press groups, and security were provided, and round tables, rallies and press conferences were held. It lasted for only 16 days and was represented by 298 participants from 24 cities (Oles Donii, Oleh Tyagnybok, Oleh Kuzan are the most known). The protests were joined by other people outside Kyiv, including university professors. Due to the scale of the protest, authorities formally considered all demands of participants and satisfied some of them. They adopted a Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of the USSR “On the consideration of the requirements of the students who are conducting hunger strike in Kyiv from October 2, 1990”; the Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers Vitalii Masol resigned, and they amended major documents, including the Constitution. The Granite Revolution accelerated decommunization in Ukraine. Many parties began to leave the Communist Party when the strike started. The youth declared the desire for democratic change, and showed the strength and significance of self-organization that can lead to real changes.
Expert questions
1. What are the facts of the case?
2. What was the outcome?
3. What factors appear to have been significant in the outcome? Explain your reasoning.
4. What does each of the cases (Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Ukraine) have in common?
5. How are the cases (Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Ukraine) different?
6. What can be learned from both the similarities and differences of the cases?