Central Council of Ukraine

Central Council of Ukraine
Українська Центральна Рада
 Ukrainian People's Republic
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Unicameral
History
Founded March 4, 1917
Disbanded April 28, 1918
Succeeded by Constituent Assembly (proposal)
All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets
Leadership
Chairman
Mykhailo Hrushevsky
Seats 822 (July 1917)
Elections
Last election
 April 1918
Meeting place
Ukrainian Club Building, Kiev

The Central Council of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Українська Центральна Рада, Ukrains’ka Tsentral’na rada) (also called the Tsentralna Rada or the Central Rada) was the All-Ukrainian council that united the political, public, cultural, professional organizations in the territory of the Ukrainian People's Republic. Later on after the All-Ukrainian National Congress (19–21 April 1917), the council became the revolutionary parliament of the interbellum Ukraine.

Overview

From its beginning the council directed the Ukrainian national movement and with its four Universals led the country from autonomy to full sovereignty. During its brief existence from 1917 to 1918, the Central Rada, which was headed by the Ukrainian historian and ethnologist Mykhailo Hrushevsky, evolved into the fundamental governing institution of the Ukrainian People's Republic and set precedents in parliamentary democracy and national independence that were never completely forgotten during Soviet times and are still remembered today.

According to the Soviet encyclopedia[1] it was a counter-revolutionary united body of bourgeoisie and minor-bourgeoisie nationalistic parties in Ukraine from 1917-1918.

Establishment

The Central Council was founded in Kiev on 17 March [O.S. 4 March] 1917 on the initiative of the Society of Ukrainian Progressionists and with the participation of various Ukrainian political parties, Ukrainian military activists, workers, religious activists, students, entrepreneurs, public and cultural organizations such as the Ukrainian Science Society, the Ukrainian Pedagogic Society, the Society of Ukrainian Technicians and Agriculturists, etc.

M. Hrushevsky was elected as the Head of the Rada while Volodymyr Naumenko, Dmytro Doroshenko, and Dmytro Antonovych were appointed as his deputies. On March 22, 1917 the Rada published its first declaration - To the Ukrainian people - in support of the Russian Provisional Government. When Mykhailo Hrushevsky assumed his duties on March 27, 1917, the Rada became an acting center of the Ukrainian national movement. But straight after the convocation of the All-Ukrainian National Congress, the Rada transformed into a sort of parliament that consisted of 150 people elected from the Ukrainian political parties, professional and cultural organizations and delegates from guberniyas. During the national congress Hrushevsky was reelected as the chairman of the Rada, while the leaders of the most popular political parties Serhiy Yefremov and Volodymyr Vynnychenko were appointed as his deputies.

During the lifetime of the Central Rada nine plenary sessions took place - eight in 1917, one in 1918 - and one extended session of the Mala Rada. Already prior to the First Ukrainian Universal the Central Rada was increased by 130 representatives that were delegated by II Military Congress (June 23, 1917) and 133 members of the Peasants' Deputies Council who were elected at the I All-Ukrainian Peasants' Congress (June 15, 1917).

Mala Rada

Mala Rada, or the Small Council, was the Central Executive Committee of the Central Rada. It was created in June 1917 and consisted of 30 members the members of the council's presidium, secretaries of the Rada, and two representatives from each political block. The Chairman of that council was elected Mykhailo Hrushevsky who also held the position of the Chairman of the Central Rada. His deputies became Volodymyr Vynnychenko and Serhiy Yefremov. All important matters were addressed at meetings of the Mala Rada in the first place and later the designed projects were ratified at the plenum of the Central Rada.

First and Second Universals

The former meeting place of the Tsentralna Rada in Kiev.

After the declaration of autonomy (First Ukrainian Universal, 10 June 1917) the Central Rada elected the General Secretariat, autonomous government of Ukraine consisting of eight secretariats. The Soviet Encyclopedia clearly points to the fact that the autonomy was declared in spite of the Provisional Government and then the Central Rada changed its mind and went on a compromise and postponement the declaration until the Constituent Assembly convention. The Soviet Encyclopedia did not disclose the details and the factors that took place at that particular time and accused the Rada in deception. While in fact the Russian Provisional Government and Alexander Kerensky, in particular, issued Instruktsiya on July 16, 1917 in which it was recognizing the regional autonomy and the General Secretariat although made substantial changes to the Rada's proposition and decided: "appoint as the supreme body of government of regional affairs in Ukraine a separate body, the General Secretariat, the composition of which will be determined in agreement with the Central Rada". According to the instruction the Secretariat was to be the representative body of the Provisional Government. Such respond really disappointed Volodymyr Vynnychenko who protested it and dissolved his cabinet. After the acknowledgment by the Central Rada of the Provisional Government Instruktsiya, the Rada issued its Second Universal confirming the agreement between both governments. The composition of the Rada also was increased by 100 representatives elected at the I All-Ukrainian Workers' Congress (July 24–27, 1917) and other representatives of minorities.

Texts of the Tsentralna Rada Universals
Soviet Encyclopedia outlook

The Soviet Encyclopedia also claims that the Rada took an aggressive opposition against the October Revolution as well as the Kiev Bolshevik Uprising. Then the Rada by pulling towards Kiev the nationalistic military units overtook the government and on November 13, occupied the city. Later in a week it declared itself the supreme government of the UNR (the Soviet Encyclopedia here used the words so called) and established the strict terrorist regime. December 25, 1917 the All-Ukrainian Congress of the Soviet Ukraine declared the Rada out of law while its participants organized the opposition government to the Rada.

The Soviet Encyclopedia failed to add the fact that the Kiev Uprising took place in the collaboration of the Bolsheviks and other parties that all were part of the Rada as well as what really happened on November 13 and then November 16.

Members

By the end of July 1917 the Central Rada had formally 822 deputies (according to Pavlo Khrystiuk). The members of it belonged to the following parties:

Out of these 822 people the Mala Rada was elected with 58 member including 18 members of various national minorities. From the initiative of the Central Rada in Kiev took place the congress of Russian nationalities 21–28 September 1917.

Fate of the Central Council members

All members of the council were proclaimed outlaws by the Soviet government of Ukraine in December 1917 as part of a national-bourgeois government. On January 29, 1918 Bolshevist troops entered Kiev and declared a Soviet Coup d'etat. The Kiev garrison joined with the Soviets and deposed the Rada. Odoevsky attempted to form a new government but was arrested. The Bolsheviks established Kharkov as the capital of the Soviets of the Ukraine.[2]

Emigration
Imprisonment
Assassinated (or killed in action)
Fate unknown
Natural causes
Other vicitms and related people

See also

References

  1. ↑ (Russian)The Central Rada in a scope of the Soviet perspective
  2. ↑ The Times, Bolshevists Against The Church, 7 February 1918.
  3. ↑ (Ukrainian)Fate of the Central Council members (Ukrainian Pravda)

Bibliography

Coordinates: 50°26′41″N 30°30′49″E / 50.44472°N 30.51361°E