On November 21, 2013, the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, decided to withdraw from the treaty with the European Union to remain in close contact with Russia, provoking protests in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Nationalism and imperialism played an immense role in this event. Ukrainians in this situation showed elements of nationalism, the reason is that they want to be part of the European Union and not Russia; therefore, by protesting, they wanted the president to know that Ukraine is much more superior to Russia and more superior to the government. Russia, on the other hand, was showing imperialism because it wanted to acquire the land of Crimea, which belonged to Ukraine. A common language is a key element of nationalism. In the western part of Ukraine, Ukrainian is spoken, which is the official language of the country, but most of the eastern part of Ukraine speaks Russian. When President Yanukovych announced that he had rejected an offer with the European Union and had accepted Vladimir Putin's (President of Russia) fifteen billion bailout plan, numerous Ukrainians (especially in the West) were outraged and betrayed . They thought so because Yanukovych was basically selling them out and they didn't completely agree with him. The eastern part of Ukraine was “agreed” per se because it wants to be closely allied with Russia. I believe the reason they want to be part of Russia is because they speak the language, are accustomed to Russian culture, celebrate Russian holidays, and identify as ethnically Russian. Land is another essential element of nationalism. Ukraine was (or is still going through) an identity crisis because the country is stuck between two continents, AND...... middle of paper ......power was expanding while the Ottoman Empire was in decline and Europe was not in acceptance of that situation. France, Britain, and the Ottoman Empire united to eventually defeat Russia, but Russia failed to make it to Crimea. This current event is very relevant to our class topic because we learned about nationalism and imperialism in the 19th century and how they developed. helped unify countries and such. As during the Italian unification, they did everything possible to push Austria away from the country. Ukrainians are doing the same by protesting and rebelling; so that they can prove that they are much more superior than the Russians. In March 2014, Putin signed a treaty that would state that Crimea is part of Russia, unfortunately. The Western attraction of Ukraine and Russia is not new; it has been going on for centuries. Ukraine needs stability in order to grow and have its own identity.