Polish non‐territorial autonomy in revolutionary Ukraine (1917–1918): A transitional experiment

Abstract This essay examines the brief history of the creation of the Polish national autonomy in revolutionary Ukraine, the ways it was received, and the different assessments, by Polish democratic activists, both of the theoretical concept of “national autonomy” and its implementation in 1917–1918. It mainly focuses on the figures of the Polish national movement in Ukraine, who were also officials of the Ministry of Polish Affairs, such as Stanisław Kalinowski, Roman Knoll and others. The paper is primarily based on their testimonies, which were collected by the Polish historian Henryk Jabłoński in the early 1930s. This essay explores different aspects of the creation and functioning of Polish national autonomy in Ukraine based on three important elements. First, the historical context of political, national and ethnic transformations in revolutionary Ukraine in 1917–1918 is provided. Secondly, the essay is grounded in the primary sources, including personal testimonies of the creators and contemporaries of the Polish national autonomy. Thirdly, it places the Ukrainian Poles' experience with national‐personal autonomy within the broader history of the idea and its implementation in East and Central Europe after the First World War.