The Knight of the National-Statist Idea (To the 140th Anniversary of Symon Petliura, Architect of the National Idea, Statesman, Military Figure and Prominent Personality)

Abstract

The article highlights the main life milestones of Symon Petliura, a Ukrainian statesman, one of the founders of the UPR army and a public figure, reveals his contribution to the development of spirituality and scientific heritage of our society. National idea always took centre stage in his life and work. Symon Petliura had a pen-chant for art, writing, and theatre. Being fond of Ukrainian antiquity and song creativity, he thoroughly investigated the history of Ukrainian culture. In the critical period of the Ukrainian revolution, he was destined to become the head of state and fight for freedom and independence of the people. The personality of Symon Petliura is inseparable from the history of the Ukrainian army, to which he contributed a lot of effort and energy. His contribution at the time of stormy military activities is especially striking, given that Symon Petliura had no special military education. Still, it was he who was able to understand the importance of Ukraine’s own armed forces and their role in the struggle for statehood. In his capacity as Head of State and Supreme Commander of the UPR Army, Symon Petliura served as a model for his contemporaries and successors and a prominent example of ardent struggle for his country. This struggle was not successful due to the prevailing forces of the external fronts and the Ukrainian forces were too fragmented altogether. Ukraine was faced with an array of complex problems and unforeseen circumstances, which could not be dealt with even by the most brilliant masters of the then world politics. Nonetheless, he did not lose faith in the revival of Ukraine as an independent state. Even in exile, Symon Petliura continued to be a guide for his people through his diplomatic services trying to maintain the international legal status of the government of the UPR in exile. Symon Petliura is an undisputed and uncompromising leader of the national liberation struggle. His name went down in Ukrainian history as one of the outstanding figures of the 20th century. Keywords: national idea, statesman, Ukrainian People’s Republic, Ukrainian army, spirituality, patriotism.