Balancing Coercion and Extortion: Change and Continuity in Ukrainian Statehood

Abstract

This paper examines the evolution of Ukrainian statehood from 1917 to 2025, focusing on both the continuity and changes in its characteristics. It employs normative and historicist approaches to analyze the state’s development across three distinct phases: the First Republic (1917-1922), the Second Republic (1922-1991), and the Third Republic (since 1991). The study demonstrates that while certain aspects of Ukrainian statehood, such as population and territory, have remained relatively stable, others have undergone significant changes, particularly in governance, sovereignty, and international relations. The research supports and challenges Charles Tilly’s hypothesis linking war-making and state-building, emphasizing the complex interplay between coercion, extraction, and state-building in the context of Ukraine.