Index: Python/pythonrun.c
===================================================================
--- Python/pythonrun.c	(revision 85803)
+++ Python/pythonrun.c	(working copy)
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@
 static void call_py_exitfuncs(void);
 static void wait_for_thread_shutdown(void);
 static void call_ll_exitfuncs(void);
-extern void _PyUnicode_Init(void);
+extern void _PyUnicode_InitGlobals(void);
+extern void _PyUnicode_InitTypes(void);
 extern void _PyUnicode_Fini(void);
 extern int _PyLong_Init(void);
 extern void PyLong_Fini(void);
@@ -192,6 +193,9 @@
         return;
     initialized = 1;
 
+    /* The Unicode API is used before _PyUnicode_InitTypes(). */
+    _PyUnicode_InitGlobals();
+
 #if defined(HAVE_LANGINFO_H) && defined(HAVE_SETLOCALE)
     /* Set up the LC_CTYPE locale, so we can obtain
        the locale's charset without having to switch
@@ -249,8 +253,8 @@
     if (interp->modules_reloading == NULL)
         Py_FatalError("Py_Initialize: can't make modules_reloading dictionary");
 
-    /* Init Unicode implementation; relies on the codec registry */
-    _PyUnicode_Init();
+    /* Init Unicode type; relies on the codec registry */
+    _PyUnicode_InitTypes();
 
     bimod = _PyBuiltin_Init();
     if (bimod == NULL)
Index: Include/unicodeobject.h
===================================================================
--- Include/unicodeobject.h	(revision 85803)
+++ Include/unicodeobject.h	(working copy)
@@ -220,7 +220,8 @@
 # define PyUnicode_TranslateCharmap PyUnicodeUCS2_TranslateCharmap
 # define _PyUnicode_AsDefaultEncodedString _PyUnicodeUCS2_AsDefaultEncodedString
 # define _PyUnicode_Fini _PyUnicodeUCS2_Fini
-# define _PyUnicode_Init _PyUnicodeUCS2_Init
+# define _PyUnicode_InitGlobals _PyUnicodeUCS2_InitGlobals
+# define _PyUnicode_InitTypes _PyUnicodeUCS2_InitTypes
 # define PyUnicode_strdup PyUnicodeUCS2_strdup
 
 #else
@@ -304,7 +305,8 @@
 # define PyUnicode_TranslateCharmap PyUnicodeUCS4_TranslateCharmap
 # define _PyUnicode_AsDefaultEncodedString _PyUnicodeUCS4_AsDefaultEncodedString
 # define _PyUnicode_Fini _PyUnicodeUCS4_Fini
-# define _PyUnicode_Init _PyUnicodeUCS4_Init
+# define _PyUnicode_InitGlobals _PyUnicodeUCS4_InitGlobals
+# define _PyUnicode_InitTypes _PyUnicodeUCS4_InitTypes
 # define PyUnicode_strdup PyUnicodeUCS4_strdup
 
 #endif
Index: Objects/unicodeobject.c
===================================================================
--- Objects/unicodeobject.c	(revision 85803)
+++ Objects/unicodeobject.c	(working copy)
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@
 
 /* --- Globals ------------------------------------------------------------
 
-   The globals are initialized by the _PyUnicode_Init() API and should
-   not be used before calling that API.
+   The globals are initialized by the _PyUnicode_InitGlobals() API and
+   should not be used before calling that API.
 
 */
 
@@ -9881,12 +9881,16 @@
     PyObject_Del,           /* tp_free */
 };
 
-/* Initialize the Unicode implementation */
-
-void _PyUnicode_Init(void)
+/* Initialize global variables */
+void _PyUnicode_InitGlobals(void)
 {
+    static int initialized = 0;
     int i;
 
+    if (initialized)
+        return;
+    initialized = 1;
+
     /* XXX - move this array to unicodectype.c ? */
     Py_UNICODE linebreak[] = {
         0x000A, /* LINE FEED */
@@ -9908,14 +9912,18 @@
 
     for (i = 0; i < 256; i++)
         unicode_latin1[i] = NULL;
-    if (PyType_Ready(&PyUnicode_Type) < 0)
-        Py_FatalError("Can't initialize 'unicode'");
 
     /* initialize the linebreak bloom filter */
     bloom_linebreak = make_bloom_mask(
         linebreak, sizeof(linebreak) / sizeof(linebreak[0])
         );
+}
 
+/* Initialize types */
+void _PyUnicode_InitTypes(void)
+{
+    if (PyType_Ready(&PyUnicode_Type) < 0)
+        Py_FatalError("Can't initialize 'unicode'");
     PyType_Ready(&EncodingMapType);
 }
 
Index: Modules/main.c
===================================================================
--- Modules/main.c	(revision 85803)
+++ Modules/main.c	(working copy)
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@
 extern "C" {
 #endif
 
+extern void _PyUnicode_InitGlobals(void);
+
 /* For Py_GetArgcArgv(); set by main() */
 static wchar_t **orig_argv;
 static int  orig_argc;
@@ -327,6 +329,8 @@
     orig_argc = argc;           /* For Py_GetArgcArgv() */
     orig_argv = argv;
 
+    /* The Unicode API is used before Py_Initialize(). */
+    _PyUnicode_InitGlobals();
     PySys_ResetWarnOptions();
 
     while ((c = _PyOS_GetOpt(argc, argv, PROGRAM_OPTS)) != EOF) {