Image of national movement and Ukrainian-Polish relations in Galicia in the press of Ukrainian hromady in the Russian Ukraine (the 60s of the 19th century – the beginning of the 20th century)

Abstract

This article concerns problems of the Ukrainian national movement, Ukrainian-Polish relations and socio-political life in Austrian Galicia viewed by the Ukraine-oriented (connected with the activity of the so-called gromady established by Ukrainian inteligentia) press of the Russian empire from the 60s of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. It has been based on the analysis of the texts published in the Petersburg scientific-literary journal “Osnowa” – “Canvas” („Основа”, 1861–1862), newspaper “Kijowski Telegraf” – “Kiev Telegraph” („Киевский Телеграф”, 1875–1876) and a historic-ethnographic and literary journal “Kijowska Starina” („Киевская Старина”, 1882–1906). The author also raises the problem of Ukrainian national unity on both sides of the Russian-Austrian border and whether or not Galician Ruthenians to the Ukrainian nation. Publications concerning Galicia in Ukrainian periodicals in Russia were most frequently brief, their contents prove weak contacts among leaders of the Ukrainian movement in the Russian empire and Habsburg monarchy. Despite strong censorship on the part of the Russian authorities, the editorial boards of Ukrainian journals favorably commented the activity of Ukrainian national activists in Galicia. They criticized, however, the supporters of the Moscow-oriented fraction.