УКРАЇНСЬКА МОВА ТА ІДЕНТИЧНІСТЬ СОЦІАЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ ЕЛІТИ УКРАЇНИ ДРУГОЇ ПОЛОВИНИ ХІХ – ПОЧАТКУ ХХ СТОЛІТТЯ

Abstract

The article discusses the problem of national identity and linguistic consciousness of the Ukrainian social and economic elite in turn of the 19-20 cc. In contrast to the widespread opinion, the author states that a lot of the Ukrainian entrepreneurs and rich landowners were deeply involved in the process of the Ukrainian nation building. They shared the Ukrainian identity and promoted the usage of the Ukrainian language. Some of them, including O. Alchevskyi, V. Symyrenko, E. Miloradovych, H. Galagan, E. Chykalenko, belonged to the upper class of the Ukrainian society and invested large sums of money into the development of the Ukrainian studies and teaching in Ukrainian language in both Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. Their financial support potentiated the activity of Ukrainian research, literary and artistic societies, including the Kyiv Hromada, Prosvita, South-Western branch of the Russian Geographical society, Shevchenko Scientific Society, publishing the Ukrainian journals and newspapers “Osnova”, “Kievskaya Starina”, “Hromada”, “Literaturno-naukovyi visnyk”, “Hromadska dumka”, “Rada” etc. In conclusion it is stated that during the late 19 – early 20th cc. the financial support provided by the social and economic elite was critically important for the formation of the modern Ukrainian nation.