"I never . regretted that all combinations failed . to make the Hetman's Ministry Ukrainian": Serhiy Yefremov and the Ukrainian party of federalist socialists during the Hetmanate period (April–December 1918)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the position taken by Serhiy Yefremov as leader of the Ukrainian Party of Socialist-Federalists after the Hetman regime was approved. On the basis of a complex of sources (journalism, party documents, memoirs, diaries), within the current historiographical discourse, the main questions that concern S. Yefremov at that time (negotiations on the entry of essays into the hetman's cabinet, evaluation of domestic politics, attitudes towards the I World War, prospects for the post war system).In May 1918, the UPSF declared its support for the sovereignty and independence of the Ukrainian State and emphasized the need to strengthen it. Under the conditions of the neo-conservative regime of Hetman P. Skoropadsky, the proposals for entry into government offices (M. Ustimovich, M. Vasylenko, F. Lyzohub) were received, which were mainly answered by refusal. Foreign Minister D. Doroshenko was in charge of the post of Foreign Minister. Later the structures of the new government included O. Lototsky, P. Stebnytsky and S. Shelukhin.Yefremov approved the individual steps of the new government: he spoke positively about the prospect of creating a national guard, advocated the annexation of Crimea to Ukraine, participated in the founding of the National Library and welcomed the formation of the Ukrainian State University in Kamianets-Podilsky. During September – November 1918, in speeches in the newspaper «Nova Rada», Serhiy Yefremov lived with anticipation of the end of the World War, traced the vicissitudes of peace talks and welcomed attempts to reconcile the warring parties.In January 1919, a publicist submitted a series of articles «Skoropadschyna» («Governance of Skoropadsky») in the «Nova Rada», qualifying the Hetman's power as a foreign, anti-democratic, force-bound nation. At the same time, Yefremov opposed the overthrow of the Hetman's government, recognizing the need for stability and heredity of the state tradition.