THE UKRAINIANS’ NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COVERED IN SYMON PETLІURA’S PUBLICISTIC HERITAGE (1902-1917)

Abstract

The journalistic works written by Simon Petliura during the period of his political views’ formation (1902-1917) are analyzed in the article. The issues concerning the development of the Ukrainian people’s language, education, science, culture, spirituality were covered on the pages of those publications. The article considers the way S. Petliura’s socialist ideology influenced the methods of solving the national question suggested by him. S. Petliura emphasized the importance of the Ukrainian school, theater, scientific institutions for the further development of the Ukrainian nation. It has been found out that the national component was important for S. Petliura’s worldview paradigm. However, it correlated with the social-democratic views. The article states the fact that during the mentioned stage of his socio-political activities S. Petliura considered the Ukrainian people’s further national development through the prism of social-democratic postulates. The article notes that S.Petliura’s outlook of that period had a religious component which was not typical for the early twentieth century Ukrainian socialists. At the same time S. Petliura set socially determined tasks for the Ukrainian science, art and book publishing. Thus, national issues dominated S. Petliura’s early publications. According to the author, the Ukrainian school, science, literature, theater and journalism should promote the Ukrainians’ national self-consciousness development, awareness of the need to achieve Ukraine’s autonomy within the broader Ukrainian community. The same applied to the workers’ and peasants’ class struggle. In accordance with S. Petliura’s views, the humanitarian component of the social process had to be socially determined to meet the needs of the Ukrainian people’s national revival and the establishment of socialist ideals.