The Role Of Socio-Political Leaders Of Podillia In The Struggle For Independence In March–July 1917

Abstract

In this article, the importance of studying the activities of the socio-political leaders of Podillia in March–July 1917 and recognizing their role in the formation of Ukrainian statehood was emphasized. The challenges faced by the Ukrainian movement after the February Revolution in the russian empire were outlined. Based on an official memo addressed to the Podillia Provincial Gendarmerie Administration, a description of the level of national consciousness of the region's inhabitants was provided. The existence of certain Ukrainophile circles of the Ukrainian intelligentsia in Podillia that supported ideas of cultural autonomy within the empire was noted. An analysis of research and publications concerning the activities of social and public institutions of Podillia during this period was conducted, and the importance of honoring the contributions of the region’s Ukrainian movement leaders — namely, Panteleimon Yosypovych Blonskyi, Mykola Ananiyovych Stakhovskyi, and Dmytro Vasylovych Markovych — was recognized. The personal role of these figures in the Ukrainization of the imperial public administration system at the regional level during March–July 1917 was stressed. This process took place under conditions of low national self-awareness among the Ukrainian ethnic population, proximity to the front line (which entailed the deployment of numerous military units), and the absence of an autonomous or independent public administration system. Archival materials preserved in the Central State Archive of Supreme Authorities and Government of Ukraine and in the State Archives of Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia regions, along with newspaper publications and contemporary memoirs, were analyzed. Based on these sources, the conditions under which Blonskyi, Markovych, and Stakhovskyi operated were highlighted. Their decision-making allowed for characterizing their personality traits, which helped them gain widespread public support and contributed to the growing authority of the Ukrainian movement overall. The activities and significance of the Podillia Provincial Ukrainian Council as the leading body of the Ukrainian movement were outlined, as well as the conditions under which the First Universal of the Ukrainian Central Rada was communicated to the public and the Podillia Provincial Zemstvo Assembly.