Events in Ukraine 1914–1922 their importance and historical background

Abstract

We begin publishing the most important documents characterizing the state and progress of the Ukrainian case in the view of the numerous scientific discussions and, in some cases, the frank ideological manipulations that dominated in Soviet period and pursued the purpose of discrediting the Ukrainian national movement and Ukrainian statehood in general. We begin with the first book of the 4-volume edition of  document, published by the efforts of one of the founders of the Vyacheslav Lypynskyʼs Institute in the USA, professor of the University of Vienna Teofil Gornykevich. We have selected 12 documents that chronologically cover the period from August 15, 1914 to March 25, 1918, and reproduce the vision of the Ukrainian problem by the ruling circles of Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany, as well as the efforts of Ukrainian public-political figures aimed at the election of Ukraine's independence. In particular, the visions of the Ukrainian spiritual, secular and military circles of the problems that confronted them during the First World War are revealed; reports on the economic and political situation in Ukraine; the relationship between the Ukrainian national and various social forces with the Bolsheviks; plans of Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany about Ukraine. Whereas we have selected documents from different parts of the book, we stored their serial numbers. Page numbers are shown in square brackets after the text. The language, style of the headings and captions, cursive and text selection are all preserved. Also, for convenience of possible use by interested persons, we submit to them a list of abbreviations in the original.

Keywords: Austro-Hungarian Empire, Galicia, Germany, Ukraine, Ukrainian state, The Ukrainian People's Republic, Ukrainian national movement, Ukrainians.