Essays in Modern Ukrainian History

Monograph Series Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute

by Ivan L. Rudnytsky

A rich collection of twenty-three essays by the late Ivan L. Rudnytsky, a leading historian of modern Ukraine noted for his original interpretation.

Genres: History, Ukraine, Nonfiction

499 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Professor of Ukrainian history; full member of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S. and the Shevchenko Scientific Society of Canada. The son of Pavlo Lysiak and Milena Rudnytska, nephew of Ivan Kedryn, Mykhailo Rudnytsky, and Antin Rudnytsky, father of Peter L. Rudnytsky, husband of Alexandra Chernenko, and uncle of Dorian Rudnytsky and Roman Rudnytsky, he was educated at the Academic Gymnasium of Lviv, Lviv University (1937–9), the University of Berlin (1940–3), Charles University in Prague (PhD, 1945), and, as a postwar refugee, the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva (1946–51) and Columbia University (1951–3).

Rudnytsky was a professor of East European and Ukrainian history at the University of Wisconsin in Madison (1953–4), La Salle College in Philadelphia (1956–67), the American University in Washington, DC (1967–71), and the University of Alberta (1971–84). He helped found the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) and was one of its associate directors (1976–80).

Rudnytsky is the author of over 200 historical essays, commentaries, and reviews in Zhinka (1937–8), Natsiia v pokhodi (1939–40), Biuleten’ Tsentrali NOUS (1943–4), Ukraïns’ki visti (1948–51), The Annals of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S., Lysty do pryiateliv, Suchasnist’, other émigré periodicals, and Western academic journals and books. A selection were republished as the collection Mizh istoriieiu i politykoiu (Between History and Politics, 1973) and posthumously as Essays in Modern Ukrainian History, 1987, 23 essays), Istorychni ese (Historical Essays, 2 vols, 1994, 59 essays), and in Russian (2007) and Polish (2012) translation. Rudnytsky edited Drahomanov: A Symposium and Selected Writings (1952), a large volume of Osyp Nazaruk’s letters to Viacheslav Lypynsky (1976), and the conference papers Rethinking Ukrainian History (1981). He also contributed to Entsyklopediia ukraïnoznavstva (Encyclopedia of Ukrainian Studies), Ukraine: A Concise Encyclopaedia, and the Encyclopedia of Ukraine.

Rudnytsky’s erudite, classic liberal assessments of Ukrainian history and political thought have greatly influenced his émigré Ukrainian and Polish colleagues, his students in the USA and Canada, and the study of Ukrainian history in independent Ukraine. His papers and voluminous correspondence are preserved at the University of Alberta archives.

Reviews

[Serhii Povísenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

History is not merely what happened; it is what happened in the context of what might have happened. That saying of Trevor-Roper definitely is the utmost fitting here. The first time I heard about the book was in 2021, more than a year ago, listening on YouTube to a public talk by Yaroslav Hrytsak - one of the most prolific Ukrainian historians of nowadays. His answer to the question “If you would be asked to advise to read the only book what that book about the history of Ukraine would be” he named "Essays on modern Ukrainian history ". Of course, people who know slightly more about the context might point out that Hrytsak actually translated these essays into Ukrainian and published them at the begging of the 90s just after the Soviets collapse - which makes the choice a slightly favourable option personally to him. But the opinions of many respected scholars and academic studies overall are such that this book is one of the pillars of Ukrainian historical and political studies, and Rudnytsky is truly placed among the most important Eastern European historians and political thinkers.


Ivan Lysiak-Rudnytsky’s life was the life of an educated emigrant as it was for many other Ukrainian intellectual elites that started moving to the West after losing in the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917 - 1921) and now running from the ongoing expansion of Moscow’s tyranny and terror behind their backs. Many of these educated people ended up in North America after WW2, drawing the line to another wave of emigration. Having clear political will for national independence and genuine dedication to the Ukrainian cause, the diaspora managed to establish two research institutions: Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute and the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. The second is a publisher of the book, and among its founders has Dr Rudnytsky. 

On of novel things for me as a Ukrainian is a fact of the discovery of such fundamental work and scientific émigré institutions with all their work behind. It gave me a realisation of how diverse but little-known to me the history of my country and my own identity. Moreover, the evidence of the impact that book has on the ongoing world’s discussion about Ukraine in 2022 could serve the fact that it’s in the reading list of a course of lectures named “The Making of Modern Ukraine”  taught by Yale historian Timothy Snyder. Reaching its global context, the russian war on Ukraine could not be well understood without quite a few essays from that book, for sure. Especially those that trace back to times of russian political rule in Ukraine and compare, even back then, a dramatic difference between russian and Ukrainian political thoughts, ideologies, methods and expressions in political life.


Another major that gravitates attention is an analysis of Polish - Ukrainian relationships. And these for me were especially interesting to read about, cause in some moments the path that Ukraine and Poland went through back then, now is very much resembles what happens between Ukraine and russia today which makes me think of what probable scenario that war might take ahead of us.

Quoting: “The Ukrainian point of view was formulated by Ivan Franko: "We wish the Poles complete national and political liberty. But there is one necessary condition: they must, once and for all, desist from lording it over us; they must, once and for all, give up any thought of building a "historical" Poland in non-Polish lands, and they must accept, as we do, the idea of a purely ethnic Poland." - it was written more than 100 years ago. Put the word "russia" instead "Poland" and this undoubtedly will be one of the stones for solid foundation of the solution to the russian-Ukrainian ongoing civilization conflict for last few hundred years.

The final words of Rudnutsky in his essay concerning Polish-Ukraianin relationships are: “There exists the potential danger that, as in the past, Poland might be tempted to abuse its superior strength by reviving territorial claims against Ukraine at the very moment when all the energies of the Ukrainian people will be needed for a decisive reckoning with Russia. Let us hope and pray that there will never be a repetition of the old mistakes, mistakes that have already cost so dearly both the Ukrainian and the Polish nations.” - What a truly masterly crafted historical and political analysis about the future that was to yet comming then, and now it’s here with us.

What Rundytsky shows clearly is that the Ukrainian nation was born between 1917-1921. But unlike other nations of Eastern Europe it was challenged with the utmost difficult task: creating a national body and fighting a war of independence simultaneously when compared to other nations such as even teh American one - the formation of the nationalhood preceded the separation into own body politic. Another major Rudnystsly’s political discussion supported by historical analysis is a comparison of historian and "non-historical" nations. Two models how ethnos which is “constituted by objective traits, such as language, folk culture, and an inherited way of life” could get to the nation that “presupposes a subjective element of consciousness and will”.  And that discussion is so up-to-date in the context of the war and regards many other nationalities both inside russia and across the world. I bealive that makes priceless insight for anyone who wants to understand not only what is Ukraine but how also how it extends the global picture of modern international policies.

Highly influenced by Mykhailo Drahomanov (Rudnytsky was an editor of his Symposium and Selected Writings collections published 1952) and Viacheslav Lypynsky Rudnytsky tries to make a synthesis of their ideas to build a premise for his own political and historical analysis. Quoting:  "My view is that in the last hundred years, Ukraine has produced two great political thinkers, Drahomanov and Lypynsky. They represent two poles in Ukrainian thought - the left and the right, the social-democratic and the conservative. Without the full integration of the legacy of these two men - meaning critical evaluation, not blind acceptance - progress in Ukrainian political thought is impossible."

Inscribing a discussion about the Ukrainian national project into the mosaics of other modern democratic nations, Rudnutsky, being himself highly integrated in international humanity studies discourses, illustrates a sophisticated historical landscape and complexity of gloabl humanity’s political and social transformation with one of its manifestations in today’s Ukrainian fight for freedom against moscow’s tyranny.

As a true historian, Rudnytsky does not leave the answers, only questions raised by the coherent, delibaret and complex analyses of the past. One of the questions that is the most sensitive to me could be found behind the quote I already mentioned above: “all the energies of the Ukrainian people will be needed for a decisive reckoning with Russia”. Would it be enough for me, my friends, my family, and my fellow Ukrainians, would it be enough strength in us to protect what we value the most, would it be enough strength in us to protect ourselves? And my answers to that is: “I believe so, and I am ready to fight for that future”. Post-war Ukrainian future what promises much more than its opposite - the russian past.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Modern Ukrainian History by Ivan Rudnytsky is a collection of essays that look at Ukraine from the late 1800’s to the rise of the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. This is a dense read with a lot of specifics on the history that don’t always have context if you are looking for an introduction read to the region. The divide between Ukraine as a complex country with Polish, Russian and Ukrainian influences on the culture of the region. This book looks at political and spiritual thinkers as well. The essays cover a wide span of topics across many years and look at a range of historical, economic, military and demographic shifts of the region. I would put this as an intermediate read for history of the area but one that is relevant in our current times with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.