Yas, Oleksii. History of Ukraine in the Horizon of European Civilization: Conceptual Proposals of Mykhailo Drahomanov
Yas, Oleksii. History of Ukraine in the Horizon of European Civilization: Conceptual Proposals of Mykhailo Drahomanov. Text data. Kyiv: National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Institute of History of Ukraine, 2025. 52 p.
Abstract
The views of M. Drahomanov as a historian with a positivist style of thinking are highlighted. His concept of social progress is analyzed. It is argued that M. Drahomanov preferred evolution rather than revolution. It is noted that he saw the meaning of progress in the dual improvement of the “social nature” — the individual and the community. It is emphasized that Drahomanov’s research strategy relied on the comparative method, which he regarded as the most important instrument of historical cognition. It is shown that his comparativist practices were mainly based on evolutionary and stadial principles of interpreting the historical process.
It is stated that M. Drahomanov considered the history of Europe as a single stream from antiquity to his contemporary era. It is underlined that he regarded the Reformation as a key period in the history of European civilization. According to his vision, the Reformation played a leading role in the formation of political culture and religious tolerance, as well as contributed to cultural and social emancipation in Europe. A ranking of 19th-century countries by the level of their political freedom, compiled by M. Drahomanov, is outlined.
It is noted that M. Drahomanov viewed the history of Ukraine as an integral part of European history, in particular insisting on a comprehensive coverage of the participation of Ukrainian figures in European affairs. It is shown that M. Drahomanov defended the thesis of a “broken Reformation” in the history of Ukraine, which he associated with the movement of Orthodox brotherhoods at the end of the 16th – beginning of the 17th century. The periodization of Ukrainian history proposed by M. Drahomanov, as well as its influence on Ukrainian historiography, is considered.
