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Yevhen Chykalenko

Yevhen Chykalenko was a Ukrainian civic activist, landowner, patron of the arts, publicist, and the initiator of the convocation of the Ukrainian Central Rada (1917). Father of Levko Chykalenko. Author of a diary that is a valuable source on the history of the Ukrainian liberation struggle.

Overview

Yevhen Chykalenko was one of the key figures of the Ukrainian national revival of the early 20th century. He was the initiator of the convocation of the Ukrainian Central Rada in 1917. His son Levko Chykalenko became a secretary of the Ukrainian Central Rada.

In 1920, while undergoing treatment in Karlsbad (present-day Karlovy Vary, Czechia), Yevhen Chykalenko closely followed events in Ukraine and kept a diary. In entries from September–October 1920, he analyzed in detail the prospects of the negotiations between the Directorate of the UNR and Wrangel, in which his son Levko took part.

Key Details and Subtopics

  • Initiator of the Ukrainian Central Rada: it was Yevhen Chykalenko who initiated the convocation of the Ukrainian Central Rada in 1917.
  • Diary as a historical source: Chykalenko's entries contain a profound analysis of the political situation in Ukraine, particularly regarding the negotiations with Wrangel, the Bolshevik threat, and the prospects of Ukrainian statehood.
  • Attitude toward the negotiations with Wrangel: at first skeptical ("I would not want Levko to take part in negotiations with this unifier of the 'single and indivisible'"), later — a pragmatic recognition of the need for negotiations even with opponents ("one must enter into negotiations even with the Black Hundreds").
  • Political forecasts: he predicted that neither the Bolsheviks nor the White Guards would bring good to Ukraine, but believed that "no one would ever succeed in killing the national consciousness of our people."
  • Patronage: he supported Ukrainian cultural and political projects.

Sources and References