The Land Reform of Hetman P. Skoropadskyi in Modern Ukrainian Historiography
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/uhj2025.05.135Keywords:
historiography, P. Skoropadskyi, land reform, State Land Bank, V. Kolokoltsov, V. Leontovych.Abstract
The purpose is to identify the main trends and issues in the representation of the agrarian policy of the Hetmanate under P. Skoropadskyi in contemporary Ukrainian historiography, as well as to provide recommendations for further scholarly research and to summarize existing conclusions regarding the state land reform. Methodology. The study applies methods of historiographical analysis, comparative research, and synthesis. Scientific novelty. This study provides a comprehensive review and systematization of modern scholarly works concerning the Hetmanate’s land reform. Special attention is given to evaluating the informativeness of sources and the validity of methodological approaches used by researchers. Main results. It is established that historians have engaged archival sources, updated documents, and the memoirs of P. Skoropadskyi, despite their subjective nature. Contemporary Ukrainian scholars have managed to overcome the traditional division of historiographical studies into those supporting the Hetmanate and those supporting the Ukrainian People’s Republic and have developed new approaches to interpreting Skoropadskyi’s liberal-conservative reforms in the agrarian sector. However, there remains an insufficient personalization of the main actors — the developers and implementers of the land reform and their opponents within the upper echelons of the Hetmanate government. While figures such as Ministers of Land Affairs V. Kolokoltsov and V. Leontovych are to some extent present in scholarly narratives, other key individuals — for instance, the chief coordinator of land commissions, Deputy Minister of Land Affairs V. Brunst, and Professor V. Kosynskyi — are scarcely mentioned. The regional dimension of the land reform also remains underexplored, with most studies concentrating predominantly on the peasant anti-Hetmanate movement. For a long time, most scholars limited their analysis to the principal legislative acts of the government and the influence of German military and diplomatic forces on the implementation of the land reform. The article presents the author’s reflections on the prospects for deepening thematic historiographical studies of the Hetmanate’s agrarian policy.
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