Christopher Baranovskiy – leading figure of ukrainian cooperative movement

Abstract

One of the most famous figures of the Ukrainian cooperative movement of the ХІХ– early ХХ centuries is Christopher Baranovskiy, a man who has, throughout his life, perfected himself and developed a cooperative business with dedication and dedication. A guy from a poor peasant family, thanks to his skills and perseverance, became a manager of one of the cooperative societies at the age of nineteen. The article reveals his contribution to the domestic cooperation: founder of the first rural consumer society in Ukraine (1898); founder of the Kiev Union of Credit Societies (1907); organizer of cooperative courses (1908); Chairman of the Board of the Kiev Cooperative Bank (1911–1917); editor-in-chief of the printed organ of the “Ants / Komashnya” cooperatives (since 1912); Comrade Chairman of the Second All-Russia Cooperative Congress (1913); Chairman of the Board of Ukrainbank (1917). It is emphasized that his extensive experience came in handy during the state-building of the Ukrainian National Democratic Revolution; he held the post of Secretary General of the URP Treasury department (1917) and a member of the Government of V. Prokopovych of the UPR Directory (1920). On the basis of archival materials and paperwork of congresses of representatives of cooperative institutions, the article shows that Baranovskiy was a staunch supporter of the cooperative, as the basis of the national economy, believed that the cooperative would promote self-organization and cultural development of the masses. The article points out that he was the author of the idea and the head of the Kyiv Union of Cooperative Societies; he regarded such unions as a counterweight and a competitor to big capital. The development of his views to the level of creating a representative organization of cooperators on a nationwide scale is shown.