Periodicals of Ukraine in 1917 - 1920: historiography and source potential

The article analyzes the scientific literature dedicated to the history of newspaper periodicals of Ukraine in 1917-1920, the usage of their materials in the research of the history of the Ukrainian revolution of 1917-1920, and the source study comprehension. The literature is structured under the problems and main historiographical periods: from the 20-30s through the mid-50s; from the second half of the 50s through the 80s; from the 90s of the 20th century up to the present. Based on the historiographical review we established the main approaches of Ukrainian researchers to the study of the periodical press of Ukraine in 1917-1920 as a historical source. Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the Ukrainian periodicals allowed proving that the newspaper periodicals of Ukraine in 1917-1920 are an important systematized-chronological source for studying the history of the Ukrainian people of the revolutionary era. The significant gaps in the usage of materials of the periodicals in covering many issues of the history of the Ukrainian Revolution were also established. The article contains practical recommendations on the problem, in particular, perspective thematic issues include the research of periodicals of the stated period as a source to the study of realization by the state authorities of agrarian, industrial, social, ethnonational, religious and international politics, everyday life of regions, functioning of local authorities of that time. Other topical directions of the Ukrainian press studies include the research of specific kinds of newspaper periodicals: political parties, government institutions, military, peasant, cooperative unions, church communities, separate most influential editions, the activity of their publishers, editors and publicists. Under the results of this work a bibliographical index with all descriptions of the newspapers of 1917-1920 should be published.