Student Revolution on Granite – a Missed Opportunity of Ukraine’s Democratic Transformation

“The Revolution on Granite”, which took place in Ukraine at the end of the USSR, is one of the least known events that took place in Kyiv’s Maidan. On the one hand, the aforementioned “Revolution” can be seen as a typically youthful movement contesting the reality of that time, during which students fought for their rights. On the other hand, looking at the time in which the events described took place (the decline of the Soviet Union), the students proved to be a group that showed the courage to openly defy the still existing Soviet power. This “revolutionary” episode can also be analysed from the perspective of the clash of two generations – here were young opposition activists attempting to influence the future balance of power in the then still existing Socialist Republic of Ukraine. This article aims both to give an insight into these poorly known events, but also to give an account of the actual failure of the young leaders, who eventually had to surrender to the post- -communist political system.