On the origins of Ukrainian nationalism and the problems of the creation of Ukrainian statehood

The article focuses on aspects related to the origins of Ukrainian nationalism as well as the problems of Ukraine’s birth, which is extremely relevant in modern times. The authors studied a number of archival materials, monographs and articles of the Russian and foreign historians. Since the second half of the XIX century the issue of European political and ethnic history of nation-states has come to the forefront. The idea of an independent Ukraine, born in the heads of the Ruthenian intelligentsia by the Austrian government, was alien to the Russian Empire and, on the contrary, it was interested in annexing the Carpathian Rus’. After the World War I the borders of the new European states were determined not so much by the natural borders of ethnic residence of certain peoples, in particular modern Ukrainians, as by the diplomatic struggle between the great powers. The young Soviet state did not take part in this process at all. As a result, many disputed territories became the subject of political and geopolitical interests of great powers and newly established states. Despite the numerous problems discussed in the article, Ukraine eventually managed to create a separate state. The study results that the Soviet regime on the one hand and the Western powers on the other, by making concessions and encouraging nationalism in the new Ukrainian state, created virtually insoluble internal and external problems for both Ukraine and Russia.