The Activity of the Social Democrat Yu.Larin in Ukraine: Extreme Biography (1906–1907)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to study an episode from the Yu.Larin’s biography, when the Ukrainian Social Democratic Union headed by him achieved significant political results.

In the following research we used the methodology of “new biographical history”, i.e. a “border” biography, which allowed to combine an interdisciplinary and methodological synthesis, macro-, microhistorical as well as anthropological approaches, taking into account medical and psychological aspects of personality. It made possible to figure out the activity of Yu.Larin at the head of the Union in the extreme situation of the revolution in 1905–1907.

Scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukrainian historiography, on the basis of “border” biography, little-known episodes from the life of the famous social democrat and activist of the Ukrainian Union Yu.Larin were studied.

Conclusions. Despite a serious genetic disease, Yu.Larin showed amazing energy in directing the work of the USDU. The Mensheviks Union, headed by him, strengthened its organization and extended its influence to most Ukrainian provinces and the Belarusian Gomel region. It cooperated closely with the Bolsheviks, the Jewish Social Democratic Bund, the USDLP and managed to achieve significant success in the elections to the Second State Duma. Yu.Larin was persecuted by the secret police of the Russian tsarist regime, and was repeatedly arrested. Nevertheless, he skillfully led the Union until his was forced to leave for another part of the empire.