Ukraine's Orange Revolution.

A remarkable nonviolent uprising of citizens has made history in the Eastern European country of Ukraine. Claiming that a presidential election on November 21 had been rigged by the government, tens of thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of Kiev, the country's capital, last November. Wearing orange, the color of the leading opposition party, they shut down the government and demanded a new election.

The country's Supreme Court agreed with their protest and threw out the results of the disputed election. On December 26, opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko (you-SHEN-koe) appeared to win the revote, defeating Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich (yan-ooh-KOE-vich).

The roots of the dispute are deep. For many, the election was a vote on whether Ukraine should maintain close ties with Russia, which dominated Ukraine when both were a part of the former Soviet Union. Yanukovich was the favored candidate of the Russian-speaking eastern part of Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, many people in the western part of Ukraine who favored Yushchenko see themselves as part of Europe and seek stronger relations with the West. Russia, for its part, accused the West of meddling in the election.

Angry Ukrainians and Western observers claimed that government forces assaulted opposition party workers, intimidated voters, and burned ballot boxes during the November vote. Yushchenko was even poisoned, his doctor said. The nation's media, most of which are tightly controlled, did not report any of this at first. But that changed when the Orange Revolution took to the streets.