M. Hrushevskyi's scientific and publicistic activities (1907-1914): problem in Ukrainian historiography of the 20th century

Abstract

The article highlights particular issues of the research of M.Hrushevskyi's scientific and publicistic activities in the period (1907-1914) carried out by researchers of Ukrainian historiography. The historians considered a number of issues connected with the increase in his activities in the context of peculiarities of the historiographical condition in those times. The historiographical analysis has made it possible to determine the extent of the research of M.Hrushevskyi's scientific and publicistic activities in that period of his life carried out by the Ukrainian scientists and to broaden the scope of issues of further development of Hrushevskyi studies.

1907 - 1914 was a hard and controversial period in the Ukrainian history but M.Hrushevskyi was preoccupied with work in order to help the national movement achieve its goal - autonomy of Ukraine. The historian published such scientific works as "History of Ukraine-Rus" - vol. 6 and 7, "History of the Ukrainian Cossacks", "Illustrated History of Ukraine" and others; publicistic works concerned with vital political issues of those times in such journals as "Movement of the Ukrainian political and social thought in the 19th century", "From the traveling wave", "Liberation of Russia and the Ukrainian issue", "Our policy" and others. That is why the aforementioned period of M.Hrushevskyi's activities was distinguished by fruitful work in the fields of science and publicistic writing. In the publicistic studios of those times the historian was trying to explain the socio-political situation Ukraine was being faced by and to give good advice on how to overcome that hard condition. In this context, the analysis of the outstanding historian's legacy carried out by the researchers of Ukrainian historiography makes the circle of blank spaces in M.Hrushevskyi studies narrower in particular and sets new objectives that boost further development of the Ukrainian historical science as a whole.

The analysis of the research carried out by historians and publicistic writers has made it possible to realize the scientists' interest in this problem. M.Hrushevskyi's contemporaries (M.Gechter, S.Iefremov, V.Doroshenko, V.Gerasymchuk and V.Picheta) paid their highest compliments to his scientific and publicistic activities, acknowledging his positive understanding of the socio-political processes of those times along with his experience of a historian and a publicistic writer. They also acknowledged the influence of scientific and publicistic activities on the cultural and spiritual level of all the groups of the population from intelligentsia to ordinary people.

The evaluations of that period of M.Hrushevskyi's activities presented by Soviet historians were ambiguous. Besides an attempt was made to analyze his scientific and publicistic activities. On the other hand, there were some accusations of negative treatment of Marxist-Leninist methodology.

 The historian's activities were examined in other aspects by emigrants, such as D.Doroshenko, O.Ogloblyn, N.Polonska-Vasylenko and O.Pritsak. They ascertained that those activities had an influence on the union of the two parts of Ukraine. In this context, they emphasized the great role of the scientific and organizational activities and acknowledged the scientist's high level of publicistic work as well as his incessant work at "History of Ukraine-Rus" from the point of view of a historian and a sociologist.

The historiographical analysis has revealed various aspects in the highlight of this problem the historians were trying to solve and set a number of objectives for the future.