Dmytro Doroshenko
Encyclopedia
Dmytro Doroshenko was a prominent Ukrainian
political figure during the revolution of 1917-1918 and a leading Ukrainian emigre historian
during the inter-war period.
noble family which had given Ukraine
two prominent Hetman
s during the seventeenth century. He studied history at the universities of Warsaw
, Saint Petersburg
, and Kiev
and was active in the Ukrainian national movement during the early years of the twentieth century; he contributed articles on history and literature to Ukrainian periodicals and edited the political journal Ukrainskii vestnik (The Ukrainian Messenger) which reflected the views of the Ukrainian Club in the Russian State Duma
(1906). Thereafter, he became active in the Ukrainian Scientific Society in Kiev and the Prosvita
educational society in Yekaterinoslav. During the war which broke out in 1914 he was active in the Union of Cities and did relief work in Russian held Galicia and Bukovina
.
During the revolution of 1917-1918, Doroshenko held several responsible positions under the radical and socialist Ukrainian Central Rada, which quickly emerged as a kind of Ukrainian national parliament, and he helped to build the autonomous Ukrainian People's Republic
. However, distressed by the continuous shift to the left of the Central Rada, Doroshenko supported the conservative coup staged by General Pavlo Skoropadsky
and his German military supporters and was named Foreign Minister in the new Hetmanate, or monarchy, that was then established. He was a firm supporter of the Ukrainian national element in this regime to which many "White" Russian
elements were attracted, but he also had the difficult task of reconciling various pro-Russian, pro-German, and pro-Ukrainian influences on the foreign policy of the Hetmanate
. The task proved impossible and Doroshenko eventually resigned shortly before the collapse of this conservative regime.
where the Czech government gave refuge to Ukrainian and Russian emigres, especially scholars. During the inter-war period, Doroshenko was in turn a professor of history at the Ukrainian Free University in Prague, Director of the Ukrainian Scientific Institute in Berlin
, and Professor of Church History at the University of Warsaw
. In 1937 and 1938, he made two highly successful lecture tours of Canada which at that time possessed a large Ukrainian immigrant population. In 1939, he returned to Prague where he continued his historical work at the Ukrainian Free University.
In 1945, Doroshenko fled to western Germany where he became the first president of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences. !n 1947, he moved to Canada where he taught history and literature at Saint Andrew's College in Winnipeg
and together with the literary historian, Leonid Biletsky, and the philologist, Jaroslav Rudnyckyj
, established a branch of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences. However, he fell ill in Winnipeg and in 1950 returned to Europe. He died in Munich in early 1951.
, which saw continuity in the history of his country from Kievan Rus'
to modern times and claimed the heritage of Kievan Rus' primarily for modern Ukraine, but on the other hand, he rejected Hrushevsky's stress upon the role of the common people, instead stressing the role of the educated political elite. Doroshenko was especially fond of the old Cossack officer class which evolved into the later Ukrainian gentry and he gave much space in his histories to the strivings of this elite for political autonomy and independence.
, booklets on church history, and two volumes of memoirs which treated the period from 1900 to 1919. His personal bibliography lists almost 1000 titles.
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
political figure during the revolution of 1917-1918 and a leading Ukrainian emigre historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
during the inter-war period.
Political career
Doroshenko was born into an old Ukrainian CossackCossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
noble family which had given Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
two prominent Hetman
Hetman
Hetman was the title of the second-highest military commander in 15th- to 18th-century Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which together, from 1569 to 1795, comprised the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, or Rzeczpospolita....
s during the seventeenth century. He studied history at the universities of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, and Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and was active in the Ukrainian national movement during the early years of the twentieth century; he contributed articles on history and literature to Ukrainian periodicals and edited the political journal Ukrainskii vestnik (The Ukrainian Messenger) which reflected the views of the Ukrainian Club in the Russian State Duma
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
(1906). Thereafter, he became active in the Ukrainian Scientific Society in Kiev and the Prosvita
Prosvita
Prosvita is a society created in the nineteenth century in Ukrainian Galicia for preserving and developing Ukrainian culture and education among population....
educational society in Yekaterinoslav. During the war which broke out in 1914 he was active in the Union of Cities and did relief work in Russian held Galicia and Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
.
During the revolution of 1917-1918, Doroshenko held several responsible positions under the radical and socialist Ukrainian Central Rada, which quickly emerged as a kind of Ukrainian national parliament, and he helped to build the autonomous Ukrainian People's Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
. However, distressed by the continuous shift to the left of the Central Rada, Doroshenko supported the conservative coup staged by General Pavlo Skoropadsky
Pavlo Skoropadsky
Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi 3 May 1873, Wiesbaden, Germany – 26 April 1945, Metten monastery clinic, Bavaria, Germany) was a Ukrainian politician, earlier an aristocrat and decorated Imperial Russian Army general...
and his German military supporters and was named Foreign Minister in the new Hetmanate, or monarchy, that was then established. He was a firm supporter of the Ukrainian national element in this regime to which many "White" Russian
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
elements were attracted, but he also had the difficult task of reconciling various pro-Russian, pro-German, and pro-Ukrainian influences on the foreign policy of the Hetmanate
Hetmanate
The Ukrainian State or The Hetmanate was a short-lived polity in Ukraine, installed by Ukrainian Cossacks and military organizations under the support of the Central Powers, after disbanding the Central Rada of the Ukrainian National Republic on 28 April 1918.-History:On April 29, 1918 the head...
. The task proved impossible and Doroshenko eventually resigned shortly before the collapse of this conservative regime.
Emigration
In 1919, Doroshenko went into exile and eventually settled in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
where the Czech government gave refuge to Ukrainian and Russian emigres, especially scholars. During the inter-war period, Doroshenko was in turn a professor of history at the Ukrainian Free University in Prague, Director of the Ukrainian Scientific Institute in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and Professor of Church History at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
. In 1937 and 1938, he made two highly successful lecture tours of Canada which at that time possessed a large Ukrainian immigrant population. In 1939, he returned to Prague where he continued his historical work at the Ukrainian Free University.
In 1945, Doroshenko fled to western Germany where he became the first president of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences. !n 1947, he moved to Canada where he taught history and literature at Saint Andrew's College in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and together with the literary historian, Leonid Biletsky, and the philologist, Jaroslav Rudnyckyj
Jaroslav Rudnyckyj
Jaroslav Bohdan Rudnyckyj, OC was a Ukrainian Canadian linguist, lexicographer with a specialty in etymology and onomastics, folklorist, bibliographer, travel writer, and publicist. He was one of the pioneers of Slavic Studies in Canada and one of the founding fathers of Canadian "Multiculturalism"...
, established a branch of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences. However, he fell ill in Winnipeg and in 1950 returned to Europe. He died in Munich in early 1951.
Historian
As a historian, Doroshenko represented the conservative Derzhavnyk or "statist" trend in Ukrainian historiography. On the one hand, he accepted the historical scheme of the famous Ukrainian historian, Mykhailo HrushevskyMykhailo Hrushevsky
Mykhailo Serhiyovych Hrushevsky was a Ukrainian academician, politician, historian, and statesman, one of the most important figures of the Ukrainian national revival of the early 20th century...
, which saw continuity in the history of his country from Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
to modern times and claimed the heritage of Kievan Rus' primarily for modern Ukraine, but on the other hand, he rejected Hrushevsky's stress upon the role of the common people, instead stressing the role of the educated political elite. Doroshenko was especially fond of the old Cossack officer class which evolved into the later Ukrainian gentry and he gave much space in his histories to the strivings of this elite for political autonomy and independence.
Major works
Doroshenko authored a two volume Survey of Ukrainian History, a Survey of Ukrainian Historiography, biographies of several major figures of the Ukrainian national awakening of the nineteenth century, a book on German depictions of Ukraine throughout the centuries, works on the revolutionary period and the Hetman state of 1918, a major work on his relative, the seventeenth century Cossack Hetman, Petro DoroshenkoPetro Doroshenko
Petro Dorofeyevych Doroshenko was a Cossack political and military leader, Hetman of Right-bank Ukraine and a Russian voyevoda.-Earlier life:...
, booklets on church history, and two volumes of memoirs which treated the period from 1900 to 1919. His personal bibliography lists almost 1000 titles.