Paul Robert Magocsi tells its story from the first millennium before the common era to the declaration of Ukrainian independence in 1991, with a balanced discussion of political, economic, and cultural affairs. Tracing in detail the experiences of the Ukrainian people, he gives judicious treatment as well to the other peoples and cultures that developed within the borders of Ukraine, including the Greeks of the Bosporan Kingdom, the Crimean Tatars, and the Poles, Russians, Germans, Jews, and Mennonites all of whom form an essential part of Ukrainian history.