In this article we will talk about such a concept as "Maidan".
Concept Variability
Maidan - what is it? For the answer you can refer to the explanatory dictionaries. And you can conduct a sociological survey. Now, probably, you will not meet a person who would not hear the word "Maidan". Even in ancient times, the peoples of the eastern countries used this word to mean open space. In Iran, a large area in front of the palace of the Shah is called the Maidan. In Bashkiria, the word is used in the name of the traditional festivities. Maidan is called a container for storing fish on the White Sea coast, an electric train following the route Kislovodsk - Mineralnye Vody in the Caucasus. Also, this word names many administrative units in Belarus, Georgia, the Russian Federation, Serbia, and Ukraine. In the dictionaries of the Russian language that interpret the names, the word "maidan" is considered obsolete, it is used to describe the market square, where it was often possible to suffer from scammers and crooks.
Variability in Ukraine
Maidan - what is it? Ukraine has a large number of villages with the name Maidan , somewhere around three dozen. Known throughout the world, the central square of the city of Kiev, which is called Independence Square. In addition to the main square, in Kiev such a name is the metro station.
Area
Independence Square has a long history. From the very beginning on this place there was a swamp Pereveschest. And already in the first half of the XIX century, Khreshchatitskaya Square was formed there. It has a huge market. It began to be called Duma after the construction of the City Duma building on it at the end of the same century, and the October Duma after the construction of the October Revolution monument in 1977. When the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine gained statehood in 1991, the square became known as Independence Square. Capital restructuring, which began in 2001, transformed the area beyond recognition. New sculptures and beautiful fountains were built. The most remarkable object is the Oranta-Ukraine Monument of Independence of Ukraine. It is a high snow-white column with a beautifully decorated foot. And the peak is crowned with a sculpture of a girl-Beregini, standing in a prayer pose with arms spread out holding a branch of viburnum.
Century XXI. Maidan: Kiev
What it is? The world remembered him as a separate image of a place where many events took place, and not always pleasant ones. These were rallies at which people expressed their desire for freedom and independence, for example, in the winter of 2001, an action was held to resign President Kuchma. The name "Independence Square" was established as a result of the Orange Revolution in 2004. To the question: "Maidan - what is it?" - You can answer that this is not only a location, but also a movement, direction, the unification of the strength of people in the struggle for freedom and independence.
Euromaidan
There is such a definition - Euromaidan, a long-term protest rally launched on October 21, 2013. The spark for him was that the government did not sign an association with the European Union. Throughout the following week, Protestants expressed their displeasure. Sometimes clashes occurred between special police units and individual radical citizens. In general, the country was calm at that time. The events in Kiev, responded to the media around the world. Kiev, Maidan, Ukraine - these words filled the main columns of famous newspapers.
On the night of November 30, a new wave of indignation began after the dispersal of the protesters, who at that time were about two hundred. The media resonated with these events; footage of dispersal of demonstrators appeared. A spontaneous protest swept over Ukraine. Crowds marched on Maidan demanding the resignation of the president. Radically minded citizens occupied the Kiev administration and the city council. On the square, the Berkut residents made a barrier that did not allow activists to seize the Cabinet of Ministers and the Presidential Administration.
2014 events
What is Maidan in Ukraine, it has become clear from a large number of live broadcasts. Later, police managed to free several streets adjacent to the square. But the House of Trade Unions (which was the headquarters of the protesters) could not be freed. After long negotiations, the President gave way to the protesters in order to maintain calm in the country and accepted the resignation of Prime Minister N. Azarov. There was no result. The bloodshed on the Maidan on February 20, 2014 led to the beginning of armed clashes and the cessation of peaceful protests. Several special forces soldiers and dozens of protesters died in it. There are no chances to stay on as president. Yanukovych signed a decision on early elections and the withdrawal of special forces in exchange for the release of the occupied buildings and the restoration of calm. The condition on the part of the government was fulfilled, which the radicals took advantage of and occupied the entire quarter of the government. To save his life, the president was forced to flee.
Conclusion
It is impossible to unequivocally assess the events that took place on the Maidan. The only important thing is that they happened and played a huge role. And the rest remains to be understood by historians. We can only say that all these events are a manifestation of the will of the masses, led by radicals that can happen in any democratic state. No one is safe from this. Maidan - what is it? The word acquired a new meaning, the development of which was greatly influenced by non-language reasons - social, political, cultural, historical.