Pavlo Skoropadsky: Life Through Own Ego-Sources (Letters, Diaries, Memoirs)

The purpose of the work is to attempt a comprehensive analysis of sources of personal origin created by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky (1873–1945) during his life, fi rst as an imperial offi cer, a participant in two wars in the beginning of the 20th century, then as Hetman of All Ukraine and Cossack troops (1918), and on emigration (1919–1945). Such ego-sources present a diff erent, sometimes even an alternative picture of Hetman's activities, ideas and aspirations as one of the prominent political fi gures of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921, later as the leader and standard of the Ukrainian monarchist movement in emigration. The methodology of the article is based on general scientifi c principles of historical research, comprehensive analysis and synthesis of the source base, cross-comparison of scientifi c criticism of ego-sources. The scientifi c novelty consists in carrying out a complex analysis of sources of personal origin created by P. Skoropadsky, a cross-comparison of the informational value, potential and signifi cance of his correspondence, diaries, memoirs. Based on this, widespread negative views of Hetman are refuted. Conclusions. The epistolary, diary and memoir heritage left by P. Skoropadsky should be recognized as the largest one in comparison with similar sources of M. Hrushevsky and V. Vynnychenko. The research carried out allows us to draw conclusions about the extraordinary importance of Hetman's ego-documents for elucidating his very fi gure. They reveal not only his life circumstances, but also his thoughts, aspirations, plans and motives for actions. The information refl ected there can disprove widespread myths about his conservatism, reactionary, pro- Russian attitude. All three types of ego-sources are genetically interconnected. Their complex analysis allows us to talk about the diff erent level of frankness of P. Skoropadsky – from the greatest in his letters to his wife Oleksandra, to the least in his diaries. As for memoirs addressed to a wide readership, there we fi nd self-censorship, inaccurate presentation of circumstances or characteristics of the persons mentioned. Therefore, the only way to investigate ego-sources is to crosscomparison them.