The Soviet «scar» on the face of Europe

Walking dawn Berlin, evidently you will notice a symbolic soviet «scar» — the line that has remained after the falling of Berlin wall – 45-kilometre sign of cold war between democratic West and socialistic East. Here and there a symbolic line stretches the asphalt with inscription the «Berlin wall 1961-1989». There was democracy on one side of the wall. On the other - was totalitarianism. On the West the most important value was a human, on the East - the system. On the West ones built welfare and happiness, on the East - communism.

Nowadays Berliners and guests of the city crosses this symbolic border absolutely safely and freely thousand times during the day. But 20 years ago it was practically impossible and mortally dangerous. Hundreds, thousands, ten of thousands were convict for the attempt of escape on the western part of Berlin. Historians cannot count amount of murdered and arrested till now.

Twenty years after falling of the Berlin wall Berlin became a symbolic city in which under the concrete flags of the Berlin wall hid all socialistic system from Alps to Ural.

However some kind of nostalgia for the past flies in the midair. Along the line of the Berlin wall you can find a man wearing the uniform of the soviet officer who will put you a stamp on any document (somebody offers a hand, leg and other parts of body) - approving that you really have visited German Democratic Republic. It costs 5 euro. And there are long queues to that man. But nothing to hide - the Berlin wall is a symbol of Berlin.

European faith of Ukraine

But the wall lined up in the hearts of Ukrainians by soviet machine is not so easily pursued to destruction, as concrete walls are. The more careful and rep work is needed here. We have been working on it already 20 years - brick stereotypes, conventions, fears. We try to destroy, to rebuild everything that divided the world into two poles. Unfortunately, it is needed a lot of things to do to reach the final reconciliation . But consciousness of people changes. Point of view already is not limited to the native edge. Millions of Ukrainians live, study, work in the other states – members of the EU. They see their life, adopt values, traditions. They tell about it to their relatives, friends, neighbors here, in Ukraine. Now they aren’t afraid to go out on the streets to protest, to defend their rights and liberty, when their rights are repressed. Orange revolution of Autumn, 2004 proves it. They begin to understand that they are able to change local-authority (presently local communities become more active). They are able to defend its own, native. The collectiveness as the main value removes. The individualistic and democratic standards become more acceptable and profitable.

But what Ukrainians have to do first of all? At first it is needed to do Ukraine stable, confident, united. The State with effective European like law and state power system. Than Ukraine will become European itself. Because such its fate.

«I love Ukraine, but can not live here. Here you can only survive and exist, but in any way not to live. I want to live and develop myself», - many Ukrainians says so and goes out their Motherland. Indeed, lawlessness, defenselessness of citizens, total corruption had been tired of all already. That all came on after the falling the communism. But nobody can build democracy at once. It is impossible. It is hard, painstaking work.

On July, 16 passed 19 years from that time, than Ukraine proclaimed Declaration about its state sovereignty and independence. From this date we count our way to the European family. Yes, we partly step back, however certain direction of motion remains the same - the events of revolutions of the end of 1989 and in 2004 proves it.

— We were young and romantic. We believed in the future of the Ukrainian state, — Slava tells, the participant of revolutionary events of 1990’s in Kyiv. - We, students of the main universities of Ukraine, went out the streets, protested, demanded to change soviet system, to proclaim independence. It was the first mass meetings. We wanted to do something, as our neighbors had done – in Czechoslovak Republic, Poland. We wanted to clean out our beloved Ukraine from communists. We wanted and now want to live in European Ukraine. Just after falling of the Berlin wall and other events in socialistic Europe in 1989 year USU (Ukrainian Student Union) had been founded. And USU became the wheel of all democratic changes. And all small student mass meetings or actions afterwards outgrew in the enormous action of starvation in autumn 1990 ( October, 2-17). Events in Socialistic part of Europe pushed nationally «conscious» young people to more active actions. We believed – only if Ukraine has unstuck from the USSR, everything will go easily and in the right European way. But how exactly build the state nobody knew, and did not think about it. Mainly — to change the system...



«Hot heads» were ready to take guns, to ride tanks against Communistic party, and if in Ukraine state power operated more hardly, victims would be inevitable, because there were a lot of those who was eager to «die for an idea». Observers and participants of events in Chernivtsi of late 89’s - beginning of 90’s say that there were only approximately five percents those, who took part in the events, with consciousness the purpose they fight for, five percents were not quite mentally healthy, and other – tired of deficit, empty pockets and «communism» soviet people. They were hard workers, who simply wanted normal human life. This was it.

Unfortunately, until this time Ukraine remains on the crossroad – where to go, which system select? But from each of us depends the future of Ukraine. But one is obvious - the faith of Ukraine is certain European. At least, because the center of Europe is located exactly in Ukraine, nearby Rakhov, on the Zakarpattya region.

…Pessimists assert that all goes wrong, optimists believe in the European future of Ukraine, and realists take patience. They know - one desire to get to the European family is not enough. It needs us to realize ourselves as Europeans, to be responsible for own fate and country. And also it is needed to compel the state and power to consider with interests and necessities of citizens. And we must go through this thorny way. Such our historical faith. To be European!