The Hidden Nations: The People Challenge the Soviet Union

296 Pages·1990·11.526 MB·English

by  Nadia Diuk, Adrian Karatnycky

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THEHIDDEN NATIONS
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FPT ISBN 0-688-08849-X $22.95
THEHIDDEnnATIOnS
THE PEOPLE CHALLENGE
THE SOVIET UNION
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The Hidden Nations tells one of the momen-
tous stories of the late twentieth century—
the resurgence of nationalism and massive
protests among the silenced peoples and
republics of the Soviet Union. No less than
the existence ofthe USSR is at stake.
Nadia Diuk and Adrian Karatnycky trav-
eled the vast reaches of the Soviet Union to
document and talk firsthand to the political
leaders who are challenging the seventy-
three-year-oldempire. Theyhaveproduceda
probing, chilling report that explains how
—
the previously unthinkable the reemer-
gence ofthe non-Russian Sovietnations onto
the political map—has actually happened.
From theacquisition oftheTatarregionin
the sixteenth century to the 1939 Hitler-
Stalin pact for the Baltic region, Russia sys-
tematically acquired territories and peoples.
Moscow's brutally repressive policies caused
many observers to feel that totalitarianism
had stamped out these peoples' traditions,
values,andbondstothepast. Thisenlighten-
ingand powerful studyshows howand why
today the republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan,
the Ukraine, the Baltics, and CentralAsia are
working to undo thepast.
Lithuanians, Latvians, Georgians, Uzbeks,
Ukrainians, Estonians—who are these mil-
lions rising to assert their rights? Do their
movements pose a threat to the reform pro-
cess initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev? What
chance do these non-Russian, hidden
nations havetobecome independent, auton-
omous states? What should the West do to
support these democratic movements? Can
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THE HIDDEN NATIONS

H
THE idden NIations
The People Challenge
Union
the Soviet
^
Nadia Diuk and Adrian Karatnycky
WILLIAM MORROW AND COMPANY, INC.
New York
Copyright © 1990 by Nadia Diuk and Adrian Karatnycky
Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyformorbyany
means, electronicor mechanical, includingphotocopying, recordingorbyany information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Inquiries
shouldbeaddressedtoPermissions Department, William MorrowandCompany, Inc., 105
Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016.
Recognizingtheimportanceofpreservingwhathasbeenwritten, itisthepolicyofWilliam
Morrow and Company, Inc., and its imprints and affiliates to have the books it publishes
printed on acid-free paper, and we exertourbest efforts to that end.
LibraryofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Diuk, Nadia.
The hidden nations : the people challenge the Soviet Union /by
Nadia Diukand Adrian Karatnycky.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-688-088—49-X —
1. Soviet Un—ion Eth—nicrelations. 2. Nationalism Soviet Union.
3. Soviet Union—History Autonomyand—independence movements.
4. Soviet Union Politicsandgovernment 1985- I. Karatnycky,
Adrian. II. Title.
DK33.D58 1990
323.1'47—dc20 90-39501
CIP
PrintedintheUnited StatesofAmerica
First Edition
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BOOK DESIGNBY PAULCHEVANNES
To Irene and Petro
and
To the memory ofMariyka and Bohdan