State and political activity of Volodymyr Starosolsky during the First World War and the Ukrainian Revolution (1914–1921)

The article is devoted to the study of the features of the state and political activity of Volodymyr Starosolsky during the First World War and the Ukrainian Revolution (1914–1921). It is noted that the period of the First World War and the Ukrainian Revolution was one of the most active and eventful in the life and political path of Volodymyr Starosolsky. Having entered it with formed political beliefs, he sought to realize his ideals as one of the leading figures of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen and an active participant in public and political life. The desire for state independence and unity of Ukraine was for him, as for most Galician-Ukrainian political figures of that time, a fundamental ideological guideline. It is emphasized that Starosolsky’s pro-Austrian orientation in the war was determined by several key factors: the desire to use the military power of the Habsburg monarchy to counteract the policy of the Russian Empire, which was hostile to Ukrainian national aspirations; hopes for the possibility of creating Ukrainian political institutions under the auspices of Austria-Hungary; as well as the need to limit the influence of Polish factors in regional governance. V. Starosolsky consistently advocated the formation of Ukrainian armed forces on the basis of the USS legion. During the war years, he made efforts to unite national forces around the idea of building an independent Ukrainian state. As a representative of the younger generation in the Ukrainian national movement, Starosolsky was distinguished by his tendency to more decisive and, if necessary, radical actions in the struggle for national-state self-realization. In any case, as researcher Ivan Khoma notes, “the established traditions became the basis of the patriotic education of more than one generation of Ukrainians.” It is emphasized that Volodymyr Starosolsky’s state and political activities during the war and revolution of 1914–1921 were extremely active and multifaceted, combining military, political and public components. With the beginning of World War I, Starosolsky became one of the organizers of the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, a military formation of Ukrainians in the Austrian army. He held the position of a member of the Combat Board of the OSS, was a lieutenant. At the same time, Starosolsky was a member of the Main Ukrainian Council (General Ukrainian Council), which acted as a civilian representative body of the Ukrainian population of Austria-Hungary. In 1918 During the revolution and liberation struggles, Starosolsky joined the Ukrainian General Military Committee, which prepared the «November Uprising» in Lviv. After Polish captivity, Starosolsky held government positions in the government of the UNR Directory, in particular, he served as assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He participated in diplomatic negotiations with Poland, trying to ensure international recognition of Ukrainian statehood and the protection of national interests.