SOCIO-CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE PERCEPTION OF THE SUPREME POWER BY THE UKRAINIAN PEASANTRY IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR (ON THE MATERIALS OF POLTAVA PROVINCE)

This article explores the sociocultural mechanisms involved in the formation, maintenance, and collapse of the symbolic image of supreme authority during the First World War, using the perception of Emperor Nicholas II by the Ukrainian peasantry of the Poltava Governorate as a case study.The authors adopt an interdisciplinary approach that combines historical-cultural, socio-psychological, typological, and comparative-historical methods.Drawing on archival sources, periodicals, folklore materials, and court cases involving accusations against peasants for insulting the monarch, the study traces the evolution of the popular perception of tsarist power -from a sacralised ideal to the image of a distant, powerless, and even hostile ruler.The research focuses on the process of the desacralization of monarchical authority in the popular imagination, unfolding against the backdrop of military defeats, socio-economic upheavals, state propaganda failures, and the loss of effective communication channels between the state and society.The article demonstrates how traditional archetypes of the "tsar-father" gradually gave way to ironic and critical views of power, which was no longer perceived as a reliable source of protection and stability.Particular attention is paid to the worldview of the Poltava peasantry, where traditions of Cossack autonomy, the influence of folklore, national-cultural movements, and the legacy of Shevchenko's anti-monarchism fostered a sceptical or alienated attitude toward centralized imperial authority.The study argues that the image of power in mass consciousness is not a fixed ideological construct, but rather a dynamic cultural product shaped by communication between state and society through symbols, rituals, language, media, and emotional narratives.In the context of eroding trust, information scarcity, and social stress, popular culture activates compensatory mechanisms such as rumours, irony, folkloric frameworks, and "alternative images."This article contributes to the study of the cultural history of power and symbolic legitimacy, highlighting the importance of a regional approach to analysing political imaginaries.The conclusions drawn are relevant for contemporary practices of state communication, political image-making, and trust management in times of crisis, emphasizing that power is, above all, a symbolic contract with society -one that must be continuously renegotiated within the framework of cultural expectations.