Theme 9. The Ukrainian Lands in the First Half of the 19th Century

The purpose of this theme is to give the idea of fate of Ukraine under the two Empires (the Russain one and the Austrian one). The features of economical, social and political life are examined, and the appearance and development of the Ukrainian national revival are studied.

The theme contains the following main topics: the annexation of the Crimean Khanate by Russia; three Partitions of Poland; the new adminis­trative division of the Dnieper Ukraine; the Industrial revolution; the Ukrainian national revival; "The History of Russes" and "The History of the Little Rus­sia"; the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius (1846 - 1847); Western European, and Russian opposition movements in Ukraine; the Decembrist revolt (1825 - 1826); the uprising of Ustym Karmaliuk; The reforms the Aus­trian Empress Maria-Theresa and the Emperor Joseph II; the Revival of Uk­rainian culture in Western lands.

The annexation of the Crimean Khanate by Russia. The Russia occupied the Crimea (in 1771), made the Kuchuk-Kaynardzhy Treaty (in 1774) and declared the Crimean Khanate independent from Turkey. The Khan of Crimea was pro-Russian ruler Shahin Giray. Later on, the Russian Government forced Shahin Giray to retire. In 1783 the Crimea was annexed by the Russia [3; 5; 6; 8; 10].

Three Partitions of Poland. According to the Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686, Poland possessed the Right Bank, and Russia possessed the Left­Bank, the Sloboda Ukraine and Zaporizhzhia. Due to the internal quarrels and an inactivity of the Government Poland fell to decay. As a consequence, Russia, Prussia and Austria divided Poland among themselves three times (in 1772, 1793 and 1795). After the second partition in 1793 Russia got the western Kyiv region, the eastern Volhynia, Podillia, and Bratslav region. After the third partition in 1795 Russia annexed the western Volhynia.

The Dnieper Ukraine under the Russian Empire

The new administrative division of the Dnieper Ukraine. At the beginning of the 19^th century the Dnieper Ukraine was divided by the Russians into the three Governor-generalship (the large territorial- administrative unit headed by the Governor-General), each of which consisted of three provinces (gubernii). Kiev Governor-generalship included Kyiv, Volyn and Podillia provinces. Little-Russian Governor-generalship was composed of Chernihiv, Poltava and Sloboda-Ukrainian provinces. From 1835 the latter was renamed to Kharkiv province. At last, Bessarabian- Novorossiysk Governor-generalship consisted of Yekaterinoslav, Tavria, Nikolayev (from 1805 - Kherson) provinces [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

The Industrial revolution. In the mid-1830s in the Russian Empire the so-called industrial revolution began - a transition from the feudal production to the capitalist one. By the mid-1830's major industrial enterprises were peasant crafts, craft shops, manufactories, whose working based on a serf labour and a manual techniques. The industrial revolution began the replacement of the serf manual labour by machine one and civilian labour. In 1825 the share of machine work in gross production was 25 per cent, then in 1861 the proportion was almost 74 per cent. Particularly in Donbas the stone­coal industry, the steel industry and the engineering industry developed. Some Ukrainian plants were specialized in the production of sugar. Due to the industrial revolution classes appeared. There were the working class and the class of bourgeoisie [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

Ukrainian national revival. In the late 18^th - early 19^th centuries in Ukraine the National revival began. It was the revival of spiritual, cultural, linguistic, national spheres of life of the Ukraininan people. In 1798 the first fiction work, written in Ukrainian, was published - "Eneida", the author Ivan Kotliarevskyi. Lots of people were interested in their history. It was caused by that in the late 18^th century the Cossack strashyna began to search historical documents proving their noble origins in order to get the titles of the Russian nobility [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

"The History of Russes" and "The History of Little Russia". Perhaps, at the beginning of the 19^th century the first non-fiction work on the History of Ukraine - "The History of Russes" (Istoriia Russiv) was written by an anonymous author. This work was published only in 1846. By that time another historical study had been published, the four-volume "The History of Little Russia" (Istoriia Malorosii) written by Dmytro Bantysh-Kamenskyi. The first publication of this work was dated by 1822.

The anonymous author of the "History of Russes" suggested that Ukraine was the only one direct heir of the medieval Kyivan Rus and the Ukrainians are the original people. On his part Bantysh-Kamenskyi debated, arguing that the Ukrainians merely is a branch of the Great Russian people [5; 6].

The Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius (1846 - 1847). In 1846 in Kyiv the first illegall political organization was created. It was the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius (BCM). The founders were the journalist Vasyl Bilozerskyi, the lawyer Mykola Hulak, the historian Mykola Kostomarov, the writer Pavlo Kulish, the ethnographer Opanas Markevych and the great Ukrainian writer and artist Taras Shevchenko. The basic program provisions contained in the "The Book of the Being of the Ukrainian people" (Knyha Buttia Ukrainskoho Narodu), which was written by Vasyl Bilozerskyi, and the "Statute of the Slavic brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius" (Statut Slovianskoho Bratstva Sviatykh Kyryla i Mefodiia) made by Mykola Kostomarov.

The aims of the Brotherhood were the elimination of serfdom, making a confederation of free Slav States with democratic rights and the capital Kyiv, establishing the republic, abolishing estates, and spreading the Chris­tian faith all over the world.

In spring of 1847 a student informed police about the BCM. All the members of the organization were exiled. T Shevchenko was recruited soldier and exiled for terms of 10 years in Orenburg, without the right to write and to draw [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

Western European, and Russian opposition movements in Ukra­ine. In the early 19^th century many Ukrainian intelectuals had already parti­cipated in the secret Masonic lodges. In the Western Europe the Free­masonry had been known since the Middle Ages. In Ukraine, the first Masonic organization dates back to 1724. In 1817 in Kharkiv the great lodge of the "Dying Sphinx" was, in Kyiv - the "United Slavs" (from 1818), in Poltava - the "Love of Truth" (from 1818), and etc.

The purpose of Freemasonry was a universal, creating of the supra­national fraternity. Some of the lodges care only about self-improvement of its members, others made political struggle. In 1822 Alexander I issued a decree banning all secret societies and organizations, including Masonic lodges [3; 5; 6; 8; 10].

The Decembrist revolt (1825 - 1826). The Russian-French War of 1812 - 1814 led to the spread of the Western revolutionary ideas in Russian society, particularly among noble officers. The first noble illegal organizations were "The Union of Rescue" (Soiuz Spasenia) and the "Union of Welfare" (Soyuz Blagodenstvia, 1816 - 1818).

In 1821 two illegal organizations were launched - the "Northern So­ciety" in St. Petersburg and the "Southern Society" in Tulchyn, in Ukraine. The leaders of the "Northern Society" were M. Vorobyev and S. Troubetzkoy. The members of this secret group had policy document - the "Constitution".

The "Southern Society" in the Ukrainian town of Tulchyn was headed by P. Pestel and two brothers Muravyev-Apostol. The group made policy according to the document named the "Truth of Russes" (Russkaya Pravda). Their vews on the future of the Russian Empire were not the same as the "Northern Society" had. In particular, the "Southern Society" wanted to make the Republic.

However, in general, the both groups of nobles had purposes to overthrow the Autocracy in the Russian Empire, to esablish the democratic system, to abolish serfdom.

On December 14, 1825 in the centre of St. Petersburg the "Northern Society" made the revolt of an infantry regiment, while the new Tsar had been elected. The revolt was suppressed by Tsar's cavalry and artillery.

On December 28, 1825 at the town of Bila Tserkva, in Ukraine, the Chernihiv regiment led by the "Southern Society" uprised against the Tsar. This action was also stopped by Tsar's army.

Since the actions of these secret groups of nobles were in December, these men were called Dekabristy (the Decembrists).

Five their leaders were hanged, many were exiled to Siberia and the Caucasus [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

The uprising of Ustym Karmaliuk. In 1812 - 1835 the uprising of peasants was in Podillia, Bessarabia and part of Kyiv region. It was led by Ustym Karmaliuk. He was arrested and exiled to Siberia four times. Karmaliuk fled and again started fighting.

For 23 years 20 000 people had been uprising under his leadership. The rebels carried out more than a thousand attacks on the landlords' estates. In 1835 Karmaliuk was shot from ambush by a Polish nobleman [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

The Western lands

The new administrative division of the Dnieper Ukraine. By the beginning of the 19^th century the Austrian Empire had already added Zakarpattia, Halychyna, and Bukovyna.

All Ukraininan lands possessed by Austria are considered to be the Western lands (also the Western Ukraine or the Austrian Ukraine).

Under the Austrian authority Halychyna and Bukovyna were made the administrative unite "the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria" (19 districts + Bukovyna, which had the administrative centre in Chernivtsi). The "Kingdom" was managed by a governor. Zakarpattia was a part of the Kingdom of Hungary and was divided into four comitates, also known as zhupy [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 15; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

The reforms of the Austrian Empress Maria-Theresa and the Emperor Joseph II. In 1773 the Austrian Empress Maria-Theresa initiated a number of reforms. For education she established secular schools, having previously closed the Jesuit schools and colleges. She replaced the army hired by the army manned through a conscription.

In 1782, the Emperor Joseph II abolished the personal dependency of peasants.

In 1783 he founded the Lviv Greek-Catholic seminary. In 1784 he provided the right of self-government for rural communities. In the same year he opened in the University of Lviv the national department for the Ukrainians. In 1786 Joseph II introduced three-day serfdom. The Church was subordinated by his order to State Government. In 1808 Joseph II renewed the Orthodox Galician Metropolitan. Also the Uniat Church got the same rights as the Catholic Church had [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

The Revival of Ukrainian culture in Western lands. The reforms of Joseph II laid down the ground for the Revival of Ukrainian culture. The first one, who developed the native culture, became the Uniat Church, which progress was allways strongly connected with Ukrainian reality. In 1816 the Uniat preacher Ivan Mohylnytskyi founded the Cultural and educational organization of the Galician Greek-Catholic priests.

Later on, between 1833 and 1837 in Lviv the "Ruska Triitsia" (the Ruthenian Triad or the Ruska Trinity), the cultural and educational group of three students, was working. Its members were Markiian Shashkevych, Ivan Vahylevych and Yakiv Holovatskyi. They studied the history and living of the Ukrainian people. Also they made collections of poetry, historical and journalistic materials. Their compilations were "Syn Rusi" (the Son of Rus, 1833), "Zoria" (Dawn, 1834), "Rusalka Dnistrova" (Mermaid of the Dniester River, 1837) [3; 5; 6; 8; 10; 12; 17; 21; 24; 28; 30; 38].

Questions

1. What was the significance of the Decembrist movement?

2. What role did the Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius play in the national-liberation movement of the first half of the 19^th century?

3. Define the role and significance of the "Ruska Triitsia" group?

4. What territorial and political changes were in Ukraine in the late 18^th and the early 19^th centuries?

5. What was the Industrial revolution?

6. What are the differences between "The History of Russes" and "The History of Little Russia"?

7. Describe the Western European opposition movements in Ukraine and the Russian ones.

8. Why did the revolts led by Ustym Karmaliuk start?

9. Describe the reforms of the Austrian Empress Maria-Theresa and the Emperor Joseph II.