Book description
In December 2004, the world watched as hundreds of thousands of
Ukrainians gathered to defy the results of a transparently rigged
presidential election. The charismatic popular candidate, Viktor
Yushchenko, had been poisoned and disfigured by his opponents. The
security forces threatened violent repression. But the demonstrators
stayed and, as international pressure grew, the corrupt old regime
that had been supported by Putin's Kremlin was deposed. It was the
most significant moment for Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
An Orange Revolution is the gripping account of this historic
uprising and the events that led to it. Ukraine was treated roughly by
the twentieth century, occupied by the Germans and annexed by the
Soviets. It saw guerrilla fighting after the Second World War and
dissent was crushed by successive Communist administrations. Its
history has been one of corruption, power struggles, organised crime,
but a resiliently optimistic population.
Based on firsthand observation and interviews with major players and
anonymous demonstrators alike, this is about a people who have forced
a lasting change: judges who defied death threats, a murdered
journalist, amateur musicians who composed an anthem for the people,
and soldiers who staked their lives to back the opposition. An
Orange Revolution also traces the story of the author's family,
who paid a high price for speaking out.
An Orange Revolution is a captivating book about a defining
moment in European history.
Askold Krushelnycky was born in London, the son of parents who were
forced to flee Ukraine by the Second World War and the Cold War that
followed. He has written as a foreign correspondent for the
Independent
, the
Sunday Times
, and the
Chicago Tribune
. He lives in Prague.
