The Ukrainian National Movement as a Phenomenon of the Intellectual Life of the Russian Empire (late 18th – early 20th centuries)

Abstract

The article analyzes the development of the ideology of the Ukrainian national movement in the context of the intellectual life of the Russian Empire and nation-building in the European world. It is shown that by the beginning of the 19th century, the ethno-cultural consolidation of the Little Russian population had taken place, which allowed both from within and from without to recognize the “specialness” of this region in the Russian Empire. The activities of both Little Russian and Great Russian intellectuals, who directly or indirectly participated in the development of the Ukrainian national movement, were based on the dichotomy of “a separate people – part of the Russian people”. During most of the 19th century, this did not lead to the emergence of separatist sentiments, but the foundations were laid for the development of the ideology of the Ukrainian national movement in different directions – both towards further integration with the Russian Empire as its specific part, and towards the development of separatist ideas and the advancement of separatist demands. By the end of the century, the Ukrainian national project had fully formed as an intellectual product, but it did not have popular support. The article pays special attention to the role of the language issue in the development of Ukrainian ethno-regional identity, which became central to the activities of most Ukrainophile societies and individual intellectuals. It is concluded that in the 19th century, external and internal, cultural and political factors overlapped, resulting in a resonant effect that gave impetus to the formation of the ideology of the Ukrainian national movement.