The
region of present-day Georgia contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis
and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first
centuries A.D. and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s.
Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a Georgian
golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short by the Mongol
invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires
competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into the
Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years
(1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly
incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. An
attempt by the incumbent Georgian government to manipulate national
legislative elections in November 2003 touche
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Ukraine was the center of the first
eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th
centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened
by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was
incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of
Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through
subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was
established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the
Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to
remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of
t
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