Ukrainian revolution and the problem of creation national parliament

Abstract

In this article, based on the analysis of available documents and real historical facts was made an attempt to follow the approaches and practices of the political forces that sought to implement the concept of the Ukrainian national-democratic revolution, one of its core program requirements - the convening of a national parliament.

First steps in the aforementioned direction were made during the time of the Central Rada, headed by M. Hrushevsky. Leading political coordination center, created on a democratic basis and, in the conviction of its leaders, called upon to bring the Ukrainian community into a national system, in the process of its development began to take on some of the functions inherent in the classical examples of the world, first of all European parliamentarism. Starting from the documents of the Ukrainian National Congress (April 6-8, 1917, Kiev), Ukrainian political parties, and the approval of the Constitution of the Ukrainian People's Republic (April 29, 1918), due to the convening of a parliamentary institution (the names were different - Ukrainian Constituent Assembly, The Constituent Council, the Ukrainian Sejm (Soim), the Legislative Duma, the Provisional Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliament, the National Assembly of Ukraine, etc.) the task of creating the People's Parliament was put forward as a political perspective. The same Central Rada, or its unchanging Chairman, or scholars of law, constitutionalists, guided by scientific criteria, are not inclined to qualify as a full-fledged National Parliament. And the initiated process of movement in a democratic way was the force interrupted by the coup on April 29, 1918.

Upon coming to power, hetman P. Skoropadsky abolished the Constitution of the UPR with his first acts and banned the convening of the Constituent Assembly, which planned to convene the Central Rada.

In times of Hetmanate temporality, extraordinary, transient impetus of authoritarian rule were proved in every way. Numerous public declarations promised to create a parliamentary institution (for 7,5 months of the official existence of the Ukrainian State, even its name was not tired) have in fact turned out to be an empty sound. But the real position of delaying the authorities to resolve the popular, urgent problem was rigorously co-ordinated with the Austro-German occupation administration, for which, as the true ruler of the situation in the country, the National Parliament seemed unclear, totally unnecessary rage.

On the business ground, the Directory tried to implement of the idea of creating a national parliament. However, the general situation of 1919 - 1920 was overcomplicated. In particular, contradictions in the political direction of the revived Ukrainian People's Republic were significantly negative. For some time it was planned to delegate the role of the Parliament before the Labor Congress of Ukraine (January 23-29, 1919), but it did not become, according to the plan, a permanent institution. Practically performing certain parliamentary functions (for example, lawmaking activities), the Directory, like the Central Rada, planned to convene a full-fledged national parliament, eventually determined by the beginning of implementation of the judicial process (Act of Unification of the UNR and ZUNR on January 22, 1919). However, due to the difficult, first of all the military, situation which permanently deteriorated, the realization of democratic state-building plans did not happen.

Thus, in spite of ideas, initiatives, plans, preparatory efforts and approved documents, the practice of fulfilling some of the functions inherent in the Parliament, such a genuine institution in the revolutionary era (1917-1920), was not created in Ukraine.