Ivan Franko

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.

This article deals with Ivan Franko’s views on religion and religiosity in the historical context of secularization which is called religious. One of the questions that interested him during his life was the question of the essence of religion and its role in a life of a human being. In the Soviet times, Ivan Franko was represented as the atheist. However, if we analyse the works by Ivan Franko where he writes about religion, we discover that for him, religion is a sphere of moral and feelings, and not dogmas, institutes or ceremonies.