The place of Baron Fyodor Rudolfovich Shteingel in the history of state formation of Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to consider one of the aspects of the life history of Ukrainian Germans on the territory of our country, which today attracts the attention of many politicians, writers, and scientists. It was established that there were many complications in the development of this ethnic group, starting with economic, political, and religious problems. In this regard, it is relevant to turn to the study of the experience accumulated by previous generations of ethnic Germans. So, on the example of studying the activities of the Shteingel family, it is possible to trace the adaptation processes that accompanied foreigners during their life on the territory of Ukraine. Every historical era has examples of state and public figures who made a significant contribution to the prosperity of their Motherland. Often, such activity became a family affair, as it happened in the German families of Falz-Fein, Bunge, Kornis, Struve, Schmidt, Folbort, and others. Its representatives were distinguished by public service, as well as political activity. The methodology is based on the principles of historicism, systematicity and scientificity. Such methods as historical-genetic, analytical-synthetic, the method of comparative analysis, retrospective, historical-typological, the method of local history were used. Scientific novelty. In the scientific study, attention is focused on the figure of the famous public and political figure Baron Fyodor (Theodor) Rudolphovich Shteingel, who became a phenomenon in the history of state formation of Ukraine in the most critical times, namely at the end of the 19th – in the first half of the 20th century. The research reveals the activities of an outstanding social and political figure, philanthropist, extraordinary envoy and minister plenipotentiary of the Ukrainian State in Germany, deputy head of the Ukrainian Scientific Society in Kyiv, founder of the Horodotsky Museum – the first secular museum in Volyn and a rural museum in Ukraine. Research results. The modern reinterpretation of the past of our country has increased interest in many figures of Ukrainian history. This led to the emergence of a significant number of scientific studies, the main purpose of which was to determine the achievements of individual historical figures in the struggle for Ukrainian statehood. The construction of the future state is impossible without a clear understanding of our past in all its manifestations and aggregates. So, the history of every nation that inhabits the state of Ukraine is an integral part of our general history. Especially, Ukrainian Germans of the first half of the 20th century. are more and more actively perceived not only as participants in national liberation struggles on the territory of Ukraine, but also as creators of the European intellectual space.