Ukrainian People's Republic

Ukrainian People's Republic
  • Українська Народня Республіка (Ukrainian)
  • Ukrainska Narodnia Respublika
1917–1918; 1918–1921[a]
Anthem: Ще не вмерла України
Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy
"Ukraine has not yet perished"
State seal:
The Ukrainian People's Republic (green) in 1918 superimposed on modern borders
The Ukrainian People's Republic (green) in 1918 superimposed on modern borders
StatusAutonomy within the Russian Republic (1917–1917/1918)
Partially-recognized state (1917/1918–1921)
Government-in-exile (1921–1992)
CapitalKiev
temporary
de facto capitals:

Common languagesOfficial:
Ukrainian

Minority languages:
Russian, Yiddish, Polish, German, Belarusian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek, Urum, etc.
Religion
Demonym(s)Ukrainian
GovernmentProvisional parliamentary republic (1917–1918)
Provisional directorial[1] parliamentary republic (1918–1920)
President (Central Council) 
• 1917–1918
Mykhailo Hrushevskyi
President (Directorate) 
• 1918–1919
Volodymyr Vynnychenko
• 1919–1920[b]
Symon Petliura
Prime minister 
• 1917–1918
Volodymyr Vynnychenko
• 1918–1919
Volodymyr Chekhivsky
• 1919
Borys Martos
• 1919–1920
Isaak Mazepa
• 1920–1921
Vyacheslav Prokopovych
LegislatureCentral Council[c]
Labor Congress
Historical eraWorld War IRussian Civil War
• Autonomy declared
23 June 1917
20 November 1917
22 January 1918
• Directorate formed
13 November 1918
• Republic restored
14 December 1918
• Unity Act signed
22 January 1919
18 March 1921
• Authority handed over to post-Soviet Ukraine
15 March 1992
Area
• Total
860,000 km2 (330,000 sq mi)
CurrencyKarbovanets
Hryvnia
Preceded by
Succeeded by
1917:
Russian Republic
1918 April:
Ukrainian Soviet Republic
1918 December:
Ukrainian State
1919:
West Ukrainian People's Republic
1917:
Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets
1918:
Odesa Soviet Republic
Donetsk–Krivoy Rog Soviet Republic
Ukrainian State
Second Polish Republic
South Russia
Makhnovshchina
1919:
Ukrainian SSR
1921:
Ukrainian
govt.-in-exile
1992:
Post-Soviet Ukraine

The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR)[d][e] was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 as a result of the February Revolution, and in June, it declared Ukrainian autonomy within Russia. Its autonomy was later recognized by the Russian Provisional Government. Following the October Revolution, the Central Council of Ukraine denounced the Bolshevik seizure of power and proclaimed the Ukrainian People's Republic with a territory including the area of approximately eight Russian imperial governorates (Kiev, Volhynia, Kharkov, Kherson, Yekaterinoslav, Poltava, Chernigov and Podolia). It formally declared its independence from Russia on 22 January 1918.

During its short existence, the republic went through several political transformations – from the socialist-leaning republic headed by the Central Council of Ukraine with its general secretariat, to the socialist republic led by the Directorate and by Symon Petliura. Between April and December 1918, the socialist authority of the Ukrainian People's Republic was suspended, having been overthrown by the pro-German Ukrainian State of Pavlo Skoropadskyi, who was elected as the Hetman of Ukraine by a congress of peasants.[2][3][need quotation to verify] After the collapse of the Ukrainian State, the Ukrainian People's Republic declared its unification with the West Ukrainian People's Republic in January 1919. After the Polish–Ukrainian War, it signed an alliance with the Second Polish Republic. On 10 November 1920, the state lost the remainder of its territory to the Bolsheviks. The Peace of Riga on 18 March 1921 between Poland, Soviet Russia (acting also on behalf of Soviet Belarus), and Soviet Ukraine sealed the fate of the Ukrainian People's Republic.

After the October Revolution, many governments formed in the territory of Ukraine, most notably the Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets based in Kharkov, and its Soviet successors. This force, along with the Ukrainian People's Republic, the White movement, Poland, Green armies, and anarchists, fought constantly with each other, which resulted in many casualties among Ukrainians fighting in the Ukrainian War of Independence as part of the wider Russian Civil War of 1917–1923. Soviet Russia would extend its control over what would ultimately become the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, which became a founding member of the Soviet Union in 1922.[2]


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  1. ^ Directory (Ukrainian ruling body) at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  2. ^ a b Yekelchyk 2007.
  3. ^ Europa Publications (1999). Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, 1999. Taylor & Francis. p. 849. ISBN 978-1-85743-058-5.

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