Secret progovernment organizations formation in the Ukrainian people's republic, april of 1918

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to find out how the network of secret armed cells was formed, designed to protect the government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) from the attempts to overthrow it (April of 1918). The methodology of the research is based on the principles of historicism, systematicity, verification, general scientific and special scientific methods (historical genetic, etc.). The scientific novelty of the research consists in the fact that the issue on the formation of underground military organizations network by the officials of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in the spring of 1918 has been analysed in historical science for the first time.

The Conclusions. The position of the leadership of the Ukrainian People’s Republic deteriorated rapidly in March – April of 1918. The government’s authority was falling apart, the political opponents were preparing to overthrow it by force. Taking into account the above-mentioned conditions, the formation of secret armed organizations network began on the initiative of numerous prominent figures of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (the leaders of the Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party and the Ukrainian Socialist Revolutionary Party), aimed at protecting the state leadership from rebellions and conspiracies. There were established Ukraine Salvation Committee in Kyiv and the Committee of the “Moloda Ukrayina” (Young Ukraine) society in Zvenyhorod poviat, as part of the network. The civil servants of the Ukrainian People’s Republic were responsible for the formation of secret command centres, equipping and arming underground armed cells. The members of the Council of People’s Ministers of the Ukrainian People’s Republic were the part of Ukraine Salvation Committee. The members of the fighting underground, along with the military units of the UPR, were to prevent or suppress the anti-government demonstrations or, if this failed and the government was overthrown, to launch an insurgent movement, aimed at returning this government to power. The plan of action would be the following: the government troops and secret armed forces would be the first to act, and the broad masses of people would join them. In addition, according to the plan, probable leaders were to be detained and imprisoned in order to prevent the anti-government uprisings. The civil servants of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the activists of the ruling parties, initiated into this secret plan, were sure that they did the right thing. According to their conviction, the Ukrainian people supported the policy of the Ukrainian People’s Republic leadership fully and should have come to its defense certainly.