Ukrainian agrarian discourse of the late 19th – early 20th century: Tykhin Osadchyi

Abstract

Abstract. Purpose. The article aims to clarify Tykhin Osadchyi’s attitude towards the peasant issue in Dnieper Ukraine in
the late 19th – early 20th centuries through the prism of the concept of peasant revolution.
Scientific novelty. The author first analyzed the vision of the well-known economist on the peasant issue from the perspective
of his three hypostases: a zemstvo statistician, a writer, and a political/public figure during the Ukrainian Revolution
of 1917 – 1921.
Conclusions. Tykhin Osadchyi distinguished the “Ukrainian trend” in statistical and economic studies from the general
Russian agrarian context and created a scholarly picture of land relations in Dnieper Ukraine. The article reveals that the
economist initiated the theory of peasant emancipation – the improvement of peasant life through education, credit, insurance,
and other means. According to Osadchyi, the driving force in implementing this program was the intelligentsia.
Based on literary works, particularly the novel Borcy za zemlyu i pravdu (Fighters for Land and Truth), the author analyzed
Osadchyi’s interpretation of the causes of the peasant revolution, its course in 1902 and 1905, and the evolution of
peasant struggle. In Osadchyi’s view, this struggle was not limited to economic slogans, as peasants were also motivated by
political goals. The writer clarified the role of peasant self-government in rural revolts at the beginning of the 20th century
and highlighted the role of Ukrainian political parties (the Revolutionary Ukrainian Party, the Ukrainian Social Democratic
Union) in organizing the peasantry. It was concluded that, despite his generally pessimistic assessment of peasant activism,
Osadchyi noted signs of subjectivity in peasant actions at the turn of the century.
It has been established that during the Ukrainian Revolution, particularly in its initial stage (1917–1918), Tykhin Osadchyi
was involved in advocating his idea for resolving the land issue, developing land legislation, and organizing the peasantry.
However, his theoretical and practical achievements, like those of other economists of the time, were not put into practice.