The features of the peasant insurgency movement of 1918-1921 in the Verkhnodniprovsk county of the Katerynoslav region

The purpose of this study is to identify the forms and manifestations of the peasant resistance in the Verkhnodniprovsk County of the Katerynoslav Province during 1918-1921. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, comprehensiveness, and systematicity, as well as on the methods of analysis and synthesis, problem-chronological, historical-genetic, and historical-comparative approaches. The scientific novelty lies in supplementing the historiography of the peasant insurgent movement in Ukraine during the Ukrainian Revolution (1918-1921) with a local perspective on the causes, varieties, and forms of the peasant resistance in the specific area of the Verkhnodniprovsk County. For the first time, the study provides a comprehensive analysis of the course of resistance and profiles the main anti-Soviet insurgent leaders in this region. Conclusions. The primary cause of the mass insurgent movement in Verkhnodniprovsk County between 1918 and 1921 was the unresolved land issue, requisitions, and the repression of peasants under various authorities. The forms of resistance included military, non-military, and mixed types. Military groups operated spontaneously, lacking central leadership or effective communication between detachments, and were limited to local areas. The issues of power, Ukrainian statehood, and various types of Russian aggression were not the primary motivators for the activities of insurgent units. The main activities of these insurgent groups included the destruction of Soviet institutions, regime facilities, and transportation routes, taking hostages and assassinating Soviet officials, as well as robbery and arson. However, acts of sabotage and terrorism by peasant insurgent groups were more aimed at destabilizing the situation than changing power.