The history of Mariupol is ancient. It began back in the days when Devlet-Girey ruled in these places. In general, there are several periods of local history:
- Tatar historical period;
- Cossack period;
- Greek historical period;
- Russian and Soviet period.
The newest history of the city
The old story, when the city itself was founded at the mouth of the Kalmius River, is associated with a constant confusion of names, where toponyms similar to the word "Mariupol" appear. Now this is "Marienpole", then "Marianapol". The second toponym is "Pavlovsk" and "Pavlograd". But these places were settled by Cossacks and the Christian population from the Crimea, which was then Muslim. These movements took place in the 18th century. Christians - immigrants from Crimea - were mostly Greeks.
However, Crimea was destined to become part of Russia in 1783. It was then that the Greeks reached out to their native places, and their former lands in the Azov region got a new wave of immigrants. The city with good climatic conditions was populated quickly. Schools and gymnasiums, banks, factories were founded here. However, in the 19th century, it was an almost entirely one-story city. Only such buildings as the three-storey Continental hotel stood out.
Soviet period
Mariupol was a workers' city, and the revolutionary movement was strongly developed there. Until the October Revolution, strikes and strikes broke out there. The beginning of this movement dates back to the end of the 19th century. The city did not escape the civil war. Only in 1920 did the city become completely Soviet. Then the creation of the Red Fleet here begins, the industrialization of the city proceeds. The Azovstal plant is organized here.
The development of the city was hampered by the war. The Nazis occupied Mariupol for two years. Those who did not have time to go to the front or go to evacuate the plant were shot or driven to Germany, but this did not prevent local patriots from creating resistance groups. The city was liberated in 1943. It was then that work began on the restoration of local factories. With the end of the war, they acquired an even greater scope, which made it possible to organize the production of steel and machinery, light industry products.
In 1948, Mariupol became Zhdanov. Under this name, the city continued to develop as an industrial and a resort at the same time. This name existed until 1989, after which its historical place name was returned to the city. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Mariupol became a Ukrainian city.
