state-building

This article examines events of Ukrainian state-building at the beginning of the XX c., in particular problems which emerged in the process of creating and developing management structures in the epoch of the Central Council and Ukrainian People’s Republic under conditions of aspirations for national liberation and the struggle with foreign enemies and internal challenges. By studying these historical events, we find evidence of certain past analogies with the present which are accordant with the current search for an etatist approach to problem-solving in modern Ukraine.

Ivan Franko’s thoughts on the topic of the Ukrainian national idea and perspectives of Ukrainian statehood in the early twentieth century were researched. The material of the journalistic heritage clarifies the views of Ivan Franko on the essence of the Ukrainian national idea and the means of its realization, in particular, the role of the young generation in consolidating all national-patriotic forces in the struggle for the independence and unity of Ukraine.

Problem setting. In different epochs, the state-building processes in Ukraine had characteristic features that should be taken into account today. The achievements of the Central Rada, the Hetmanate, the Directory, and the Soviet government in Ukraine reveal the complex external and internal circumstances of state-building. Political leaders of this period pursued their own principles of governance, often ignoring the lessons of the past.