Висвітлення мемуарною літературою діяльності осередків Всеросійського селянського союзу в Україні в роки Першої російської революції

Abstract

Розглядається комплекс мемуарної історико-революційної літератури, що висвітлює діяльність регіональних структур Всеросійського селянського союзу. Аналізується оцінка мемуаристами значення селянської організації, її взаємодія з політичними партіями, а також рух за створення Українського селянського союзу.

Рассматривается комплекс мемуарной историко-революционной литературы, освещающей деятельность региональных структур Всероссийского крестьянского союза. Анализируется оценка мемуаристами значения крестьянской организации, ее взаимоотношения с политическими партиями, а также движение за создание Украинского крестьянского союза.

The complex of memorial historical and revolution literature revealing All-Russian Peasant Union (ARPU) regional structures activity is examined. The article purpose is to analyze basing on the memorials of agrarians (participants of the movement) various aspects of regional locations of Peasant Union social and political activity in Ukraine as well as a struggle for Ukrainian Peasant Union creation. It is distinguished that the definition of the ARPU nature differed depending on the political background of memoirists - from accepting the Union as proper peasant organization disposed to act in legal field (E.Chikalenko, D.Doroshenko) to formless structure without clear program, how it was understood by a part of Russian social-democrats. Therefore came different degrees of parties’ members participation in the operation of the Union. In Ukraine the most active role in the creation and development of ARPU played the representatives of Ukrainian Liberal camp together with the representatives of Socialist-Revolutionary party. In spite of being encouraged by parties’ activists, Peasant Union stayed fully independent organization guided by peasant interests. Memoirists who belonged to the former Union activists estimated it as a valid political power and an equal partner of other political organizations and, in case of Sumy ARPU committee, as a leading political party of the region. The memorials recreate the picture of ARPU cells, which were mostly established from the bottom upwards according to the chain reaction. In this regards, authors’ positive attitudes to massive influxes of peasants to organization are stated. In memoirs conduction of peasant congresses, which demonstrated the prevailing homogeneity of the peasants’ position on payless cession of landlords’, imperial and church lands to peasants was noted as well as positive perception of revolution democratic tasks - convention of information meetings, implementation of democratic freedoms, release of political prisoners, etc. The attention to economic measures of local Union Committees described by authors is emphasized. The role of peasant intelligence in the operation of Union units is reviewed. Ukrainian political leaders’ activity aimed at Ukrainian Peasant Union (UPU) creation is studied separately together with the roles of sertain political activists in this process. It is concluded that the memoirs point at the list of important aspects of ARPU activity: successful functioning of Peasant Union Units was due to a strong collaboration of intelligence and peasant activists; substantial contribution in establishment and activity of ARPU commettees was made by opposition political organizations, though their influence on peasantry and its organization was not considerable; the creation of Peasant Union itself became possible due to the peasantry politization and origin of public society.