The collapse of the Soviet Union and the declaration of independence were a fundamental turning point in the history of Ukraine. 1990 and 1991 were years of enormous political and social optimism, and at this time there was mass participation in the euphoric demolition of the totalitarian, imperialist, politically closed and economically bankrupt state. Over 90 per cent of Ukraine's population voted in favour of independence in the referendum on 1 December 1991 in the belief that they would be better off in a new country called Ukraine rather than in the USSR. The first parliamentary election of March 1990 and the presidential election of December 1991 showed high levels of electoral turn-out. Civic life was vibrant, new political parties emerged one after another, hundreds of NGOs were formed, laying the foundation of democracy and civil society. In this stormy process, new leaders emerged and, for the first time, alongside men's voices, women's voices were heard.

Crisis in Ukraine

The enormous crisis – sharp decline in production, inflation, widespread corruption and government prevarication when it came to reform – radically altered the situation in Ukraine in 1992–4. Words such as ‘market’, ‘democracy’, ‘independence’ and ‘the West’ began to lose their currency. It turned out that the market economy in its Ukrainian variant resembled a bazaar, and democratically elected parliaments were the main obstacle to reform. The West fixed its attention on Russia and took scant notice of the newly independent states.