It was once remarked that Ukraine was the 1920s invention of Lenin and the USSR, but the story of Ukraine begins more than 1,000 years ago. Forging a Nation offers an insightful look at the role of geography and circumstance in shaping Ukraine's national destiny. Historian and educator Adam Lord hosts a conversation on the virtues and vices of nationalism and walks readers through the early history of the Ukrainian people, Peter the Great's attempt to usurp their story for his own legitimacy, and the rise of socialist sympathizers in the 19th century. This work hinges on the rise of Ukrainian nationalism in the Austrian and Russian Empires. The story of the Ukrainian nation is as much a story about language and land, religion and regionalism, and mobilization and Marxism as it is about discovering a true identity.