The experiment in Cossack egalitarianism had failed.
During the 18th century, the social structure of Left-Bank Ukraine was brought back into line with that of the neighboring East European lands. As an elite of nobles emerged in the Hetmanate, the peasantry again slipped back into serfdom, and the status of Cossacks sank to that of peasants.
The Polish szlachta reestablished its regime on the Right Bank and the old order returned there. In Russian-ruled Ukraine, social tensions were eased somewhat by the opening up for settlement of the vast fertile Black Sea hinterland, which the imperial government had wrested from the Zaporozhians and the Crimean Tatars. But in the Polish-ruled Right Bank, where socioeconomic oppression was exacerbated by religious discrimination, the Ukrainian peasantry rose up in bloody revolt against the szlachta in 1768. The revolt failed, however, and the szlachta regained control. It appeared that the socioeconomic order was immutable. In the realm of culture, in contrast, heightened activity marked the early and middle parts of the 18th century in the Hetmanate. Nevertheless, by the end of the century, Ukraine assumed a decidedly provincial character in all regions and on all levels – cultural, social, and economic.
More on the topic The experiment in Cossack egalitarianism had failed.:
-
Conflictology -
Ecology -
Economy -
Finance -
History -
Law -
Medicine -
Philosophy -
Religious studies -