Liberals and the Ukrainian Question in Imperial Russia, 1905–1917

Abstract

In the spring of 1917, the Provisional Government headed by the liberals faced an unexpected challenge from Kiev, where local liberals supported the idea of an autonomous Ukraine within Russia. While the St Petersburg liberals did not dismiss the idea of Ukrainian autonomy entirely, they viewed this position as premature. Using internal Kadet party documents, this article argues that the central committee and Kiev party members interpreted nationalism in Russia’s political transformation differently. The Kiev liberals considered Ukrainian nationalism a tool for the liberal transformation of the region; in contrast, the liberals in the centre envisioned the liberalization of Russia as a juridical and universal process from above, separate from nationality questions.