Theme Colonial liberation and equality Era 1990 – 1994 Presented by Jason Jameson

Politics Economy Fashion Religion Music Media

 Gorbachev Resigns  With him, falls the USSR  Ending the Cold War  Resulting in the independence of 15 countries

Armenia Azerbaijan Estonia Latvia Lithuania Belarus Moldova Ukraine Georgia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Russia

 Develop a new economy  Reorganize political system  Settle territorial disputes  Establish foreign policy

 Adopted a market economy vice the former socialist economy  Currency: Hryvnia (pronounced gryevnia)  Politically, it is a republic with a semi- presidential system  Maintains separate legislative, judicial and executive branches

 Ukraine was not ready for a market economy  For the first eight years, they experienced a deep recession  After 2000, as a result from protests and organized strikes, their economy skyrocketed  Natural Resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, nickel, mercury, timber and farmland

 Soviet era fashion: drab and dry  Black, gray and earthy brown cloths were not just the norm, but the only choice  If colorful clothing could be found, it was highly frowned upon  Shoes were either black or brown leather, dress type shoes with thin, hard soles  Casual clothing was non-existent outside the home  In public, formal wear was the only acceptable attire  Students dressed to conform to status stereotypes

 Post Soviet era fashion: sharp and chic  The first fifteen years were a slow progression  In the past five years however, fashion has boomed  Ukrainian youth have adopted styles from Western European countries  Many Ukrainian designers now export clothing to the rest of Europe  A college campus in Kiev now seems as open (fashionably) as its counterpart in Paris  Students are now dressing more as individuals

 Soviet era Religion  To practice religion was to break the law  Atheism was sanctioned by the state and taught in schools  Religious ceremonies were illegal  Baptisms were performed in secrecy  Religious texts, statues and images were confiscated and destroyed  Churches, mosques and synagogues were destroyed or re-designated for other use

 Post Soviet era Religion  Religious freedom is now enjoyed by everyone  Religion is an integral part of most Ukrainians lives  Main religion is Eastern Orthodox Christianity  It has a huge influence on architecture, literature and music  Many churches were restored or rebuilt

 Soviet era Music and Media:  No religious content  Everything was broadcast in Russian  Most radio and television broadcasts were propaganda, released by the government

 Post Soviet era Music and Media:  After their independence, the Russian language became outlawed  It was no longer allowed to be taught in schools and was shunned in public speech  Music and television in Russian were no longer broadcast to the public  Government documents had to be translated  New music, television and literature began to emerge

 Political independence  Presidential elections  Economic independence  Own currency  Religious freedom  Art and architecture  Lifestyle  Expressive freedom  Fashion and multimedia

Works Cited Aneki.com Ranking and Records: Former Soviet Union Countries, 2010, web 7/16/2011. English Russia, 2011, web 7/16/2011. Ferrexpo, n.d., web 7/16/2011. Shutterstock: images, 2011, web 7/16/2011. Trek.con: Kiev, Ukraine Church of St. Michael, 2011, web 7/16/2011. Ustimchik, Mariya. Personal interview, 16 Jul Yalta: 2011 European Master Championships, 2011, web 7/16/2011.