UKRAINIAN EUROCENTRISM: THE FIRST ATTEMPT OF CIVILIZED APPROACH IN JUSTIFICATION OF THE IDEAS OF NATIONHOOD (MID XIX – EARLY XX CENTURIES)

Abstract

The features of the formation of the national socio-political and legal thought as the idea of Eurocentrism of the Ukrainian people belonging to the European civilization are traced. The thesis of the idea of forming of the Ukrainian Eurocentrism during the second half of XIX ‑ early XX century is proved, as a form of civilizational approach to explain the identity of the Ukrainian nation and the European direction of development, as natural in comparison with others. From this perspective, the author believes, the Ukrainian Eurocentrism is inherently Ukrainiancentrism. The French Revolution (1789–1799) is assumed to be the starting point of visual appeal to Ukrainian and European eternal compatibility with pseudo-Europeans projected Ukrainians. This event is considered to be a turning point in the history of Western democracy as the era of transition from the old absolutism and aristocracy, to the age of democracy and participation of the general public in life of the country. The evolution of the idea of Ukrainian Eurocentrism from its pioneers M. Kostomarov and V. Antonovych to fundamental researchers Dragomanov and Hrushevsky is noted. In M. Kostomarov’s opinion, democratism of Ukrainian people was the main «European» Ukrainian virtue, that was the main cause of their dislike of the king or the master, commitment to the idea of equality, and their propensity guided by Christ’s commandments of love and brotherhood. Mr. Antonovich pointed out Ukrainian «European» features such as inner awareness of the values of freedom, justice and truth. According to his theory, Ukrainian people have always strived for the order in which they could best reveal their «secular democracy» – desire for equality, the creation of elected bodies, the freedom of a man. For M. Dragomanov, the creator of the concept of Europeanism of Ukrainian nation, Ukrainian people are definitely – European nation with European history and mainly perspective. He urged Ukrainian people straight to back to the European world, the necessity for understanding of Ukraine in the European context and implementation of national socio-political practice of «Western» values of human rights, which means to introduce constitutionalism. Hrushevsky linked the development of Ukraine with the European perspective, but as a nation state. However, his Ukrainian Eurocentrism – is not blind copying even the best of European experience, but search for their own path of Ukrainian prerogatives for the future. However, from the viewpoint of the author, the essence of Ukrainian Eurocentrism should be the words of another large Ukrainian imprinted on his monument in Lviv: «... We must stand on our feet on the land, having a head in Europe, and enfolding widely the matters of great concern of the Ukrainian nation by hands».