The Ukrainian vote for independence in December 1991 effectively ended the existence of the Soviet Union, with the Ukraine being the second largest republic to have emerged from the ruins of the USSR. This country the same size as France in land and population will play an increasingly important role in regional and world affairs as a new military and potential economic power. The main focus of this book is the transition in Ukraine from the policies of perestroika and glasnost, first introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev, to the ultimate break with Moscow which brought an end to both the Soviet Union and Gorbachev's own career. This second edition is expanded and updated to include greater detail of developments within Ukraine and within a broader Soviet context.