Recent Crimean History
We’ve researched more than 2000 years of Crimean history and squeezed it into this recent Crimean history ADDucation list you can digest in under 5 minutes! It covers the background history about the Ukraine and it’s relationship with Crimea in an easy to digest way without politics or prejudice getting in the way. The Crimea is a beautiful region with a long coastline, steppes and mountains and an enviable climate. Hardly surprising then, that this Black Sea pearl is such a sought after prize. Throughout its history, the Crimea has been occupied by the Greeks, Romans, Tatars and the Ottoman Empire to name just a few.
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| Subject | Brief Answer | Recent Crimean History Details |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Black Sea | Peninsula on southern coast of Ukraine |
| Capital | Simferopol | Inland city on site of ancient Greek city Neapolis. Population. 350,000 |
| Population | Approximately 2 million | |
| Languages | Ukrainian, Russian, Tatar | Ukrainian is the official language but Russian is spoken by about 75% of the population. About 10% speak Tatar |
| Ethnicity | Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars | Ethnic Russians 58 %, Ukrainians 24%, Tatars 12% |
| Area | 10,000 square miles (27,000 km2) | |
| Climate | Temperate continental | Same latitude as Venice. Hot summers and cool winters. Tourist center on southern coast |
| Landscape | Prairie, mountains and coast | Around ¾ prairie land, mountains as high as 2500 feet (750 meters) and coastline |
| Economy | Tourism, agriculture | Including wine-making. In recent Crimean history it has become famous for Sovetskoye Shampanskoye (“Soviet champagne”) which is still made today |
| Attractions | Various | In recent Crimean history attractions includes beaches, palaces and villas, mountain scenery, spas and caves |
| Russia’s Fleet | Sevastopol | Base of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. |
| Early Occupants | Countless | Cimmerians, Greeks, Romans, Goths, Huns, Byzantine Empire, Tatars, Ottoman Empire. The Tatars were Mongol Muslims with roots going back to Genghis Khan. |
| Russian Occupants | 1783 | Annexation into Russian Empire |
| Crimean War | 1853-56 | Russia against Great Britain, France, Sardinia and Turkey. The Allies took Sevastopol where the Tsar had his Fleet thus preventing him from influence in the Mediterranean. Famous for poem the “Charge of the Light Brigade” which celebrates the British attacking the wrong Russian position, and Florence Nightingale treating British troops from 1854. Balaclava comes from the Crimean Town of the same name where the masks were first worn by soldiers to protect against the cold |
| Bolshevik annexation | 1917 | Civil war involving Tsarists, Bolsheviks and anarchists. Crimea incorporated into the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
| Nazi Occupation | 1942-1944 | By German and Romanian troops after harsh battles and huge loss of life on all sides |
| Tatar Deportation | 1944 | Josef Stalin deports entire Tatar population to Soviet Union for alleged Nazi collaboration |
| Yalta Conference | 1945 | Held when Germany was close to defeat between Stalin, Churchill and US president Roosevelt. Sealed Poland’s fate as part of Soviet Union, and led to formation of the UN. |
| Transfer to Ukraine | 1954 | By Khrushchev from RSFSR to Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic |
| End of Soviet Union | 1991 | President Gorbachev is on vacation in Crimea when coup takes place in Moscow. Russia and Ukraine divide Black Sea Fleet. Russia’s fleet stays in Sevastopol |
| Independence attempt | 1992 | Crimean government backed by Russia declares independence but fails |
| Rejoining Russia | 1994 | Yuri Meshkov – first elected president argues in favor of rejoining Russia |
| Meshkov ousted | 1995 | The government comes under national control but the Crimean assembly remains |
| Russian base | 1997 | An agreement permits Russia to keep its fleet there for 20 years |
| NATO manoeuvres | 2006 | US Marines from a Ukraine-NATO exercise encounter protesters prompting the local parliament to declare the Crimea a NATO free zone. |
| NATO M.A.P. | 2008 | Ukraine including Crimea becomes candidate to join NATO M.A.P. (Membership Action Plan) against Russian protests |
| NATO cancelled | 2010 | New president Viktor Yanukovych decides against NATO membership but continues relations and exercises |
| Yanukovych flees | February 2014 | Yanukovych leaves the Ukraine for Russia after lengthy protests. Interim government approves closer association with west and NATO |
| Republic of Crimea declared | March 2014 | Crimea becomes part of Russian Federation after referendum but remains part of the Ukraine according to its constitution. A process opposed by the US and the EU. Ukraine withdraws troops |
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