Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2024
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
THOMAS M. PRYMAK A H ISTO R IAN IN POLITICS: M YK H AILO H R U S H E VS K Y Hrushevsky in his Lviv study sometime before 1914. Credit: Author's Collection, Toronto. Mykhailo Hrushevsky (1866-1934) is one of the most important Ukrainian figures of the modern era. He was, in fact, a legend in his own time and was often listed with the poet, Taras Shevchenko, and the political emigre, Mykhailo Drahomanov, as one of the three great “awakeners” of modern Ukraine. During the great revolution which began in 1917, Hrushevsky was uni versally acknowledged as the “father” (bat’ko) of his country. In our own time, his fame has long surpassed that of Drahomanov and his name is indissolubly connected with the short-lived but precedent-setting independent Ukrainian state of 1918 and with his multi volume History of Ukraine-Rus’ which is still the most complete and most impressive history of Ukraine written in modern times. With the emergence of independent Ukrainian statehood in 1991, streets and libraries were renamed in his honor and the great task of reprinting his long-banned works was begun. It was soon announ ced that his image was to appear on the new Ukrainian currency. In spite of the obvious importance of Hrushevsky in modern Ukrainian history, controversy long surrounded his person and the average reader, both in the Soviet Union and in the West, remained poorly informed about the details of his career. What were the main ideas that Hrushevsky espoused and what were the principal stages of his political career? Mykhailo Hrushevsky was born in Kholm (Chelm) and raised in the Caucasus but from a very early date acquired an interest in his ancestral homeland. While still a schoolboy, he dreamed of becoming a famous Ukrainian writer. In the university, he switched to history and under the guidance of his Kiev mentor, Professor Volodymyr Antonovych, he developed into a local patriot who was devoted to the cause of the common people, especially the Ukrainian countryfolk who had preserved their native language and customs and possessed a rich folklore which included vivid memories of Cossack freedom. By this time, Hrushevsky was already an admirer of the work of Taras Shevchenko who had used the name “Ukraine” in a revolutionary way that stressed national and social rather than geographical and regional themes. Thus when Hrushevsky graduated from the university, it seems, he was already a democrat and a nationally conscious Ukrainian patriot who firmly espou sed the ideals of the national revival and wished to see a de-centralizing federalization of the autocratic Russian Empire. While still in his early twenties, Hrushevsky was appointed to the prestigious post of Professor of History at the University of Lemberg (Lviv) in Austrian Galicia. This was very significant because in Galicia, unlike Dnieper Ukraine under the Russians, the Ukrainian language could be freely used. Antonovych and his colleagues intended to use Austrian Galicia as a focal point or Piedmont from which to project the idea of a free Ukraine back into the Russian Empire. Hrushevsky, of course, with his writing skills and his organizational talents, was to be an important factor in this Ukrainian Piedmont. The young historian immediately set to work. He taught Ukrainian history at the university, published widely on historical topics, and initiated his great History of Ukraine-Rus’; he reconciled various antagonistic 18 ’НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, СІЧЕНЬ 1993 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
