MYKOLA HE AND IVAN PETRUNKEVYCH: SOURCES OF PERSONAL ORIGIN ON THE HISTORY OF RELATIONSHIPS

Keywords: zemstvo liberal party, Borznyansk district zemstvo,, I. Petrunkevych,, M. Ge,

Abstract

For the first time in historical science, the main aspects of complex relations between prominent figures of Ukrainian history of the XIX century are clarified on the basis of sources of personal origin. - great artist Mykola Ge and politician Ivan Petrunkevych. The author concludes that the relationship of bright personalities illustrates the great social resonance around the ascetic activities of the opposition aristocratic front in the north of the Left Bank of Ukraine. M. Ge’s personal attitude to the Zemstvo Liberal Party of Northern Ukraine and its leader I. Petrunkevych is an obvious marker that testifies to the indifference of the advanced public to this current of the liberation movement in the Russian Empire in the second half of the XIX century. For the first time in historical science, based on sources of personal origin, the main aspects of the complex relationship between prominent figures - the great artist Nikolai Ge and politician Ivan Petrunkevich - are clarified. The relationships of bright personalities illustrate the great social resonance around the ascetic activity of the opposition aristocratic front in the north of the Left Bank of Ukraine. M. Ge’s personal attitude to the Zemstvo Liberal Party of the Northern Left Bank and its leader I. Petrunkevych is an obvious marker, which testifies to the indifference of the advanced public to this current of the liberation movement in the Russian Empire in the second half of the XIX century. Semantic analysis of historical sources shows that the contacts of M. Ge and I. Petrunkevych had a long history, which in the vast majority correlated with the Ukrainian period of life and work of both prominent personalities. Already at the stage of acquaintance in Italy, the first contradictions crystallized between the artist and the politician, which laid the foundations of a contradictory relationship. The greatest conflict was marked by the period when both activists worked in elected positions - deputies of the Borzniansky district zemstvo. The modern tax reform developed and initiated by I. Petrunkevych and his political allies, the main principles of which were the imperatives of solidarity and the progressive scale of taxation, turned out to be absolutely unacceptable for M. Ge, despite his fascination with O. Herzen’s philosophy and demonstrative manifestations of populism. Public discussions in the county zemstvo assembly significantly complicated the relationship between the two individuals, dividing them into different political camps, thus drawing a demarcation line in ideological preferences. And although the conflict did not hinder the further friendly relations between I. Petrunkevych and M. Ge, the unpleasant, emotional “sediment” that remained after the political struggle caused some discomfort in the relationship between the artist and the politician.

References

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Published
2022-11-21
How to Cite
Kotelnitsky, N. (2022). MYKOLA HE AND IVAN PETRUNKEVYCH: SOURCES OF PERSONAL ORIGIN ON THE HISTORY OF RELATIONSHIPS. Zaporizhzhia Historical Review, 6(58), 351-356. Retrieved from https://istznu.org/index.php/journal/article/view/2428
Section
Historiography. Source Studies