Book Description

The First World War, which began in 1914 (July 28, 1914), divided Ukrainian territories between the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires. During this time, a political movement called the "Union for the Liberation of Ukraine" was initiated by a six-member administrative team that gathered on August 4, 1914, with the aim of Ukraine's liberation. The names of these six individuals were Volodymyr Doroshenko, Marian Melenevsky, Andrii Zhuk, Mykola Zalizniak, Oleksander Skoropys-Yoltukhovsky, and Dmytro Dontsov. Based in Vienna, the Union for the Liberation of Ukraine made various publications to raise awareness in European public opinion and appealed for military support as well. While they particularly sought to gain the attention of Germany, states reluctant to antagonize Russia provided financial support, albeit reluctantly. The society's headquarters in Vienna were later moved to Berlin. They also had offices in places like Switzerland and Romania and distributed political brochures and books to convey their concerns to all countries. The organization's goal was to establish an independent Ukraine. However, as mentioned in the previous sentence, Ukraine was not officially recognized as an independent country due to its non-compliance with the policies of states. Indeed, at no point did many states wish to engage in activities that did not align with their policies. As we frequently encounter in historical cases, this policy can be summarized as follows: The rebellious group approaches a state and, by being recognized by that state, gains a legitimate ground to engage in the struggle. In this way, they achieve recognition and acquire allies. Information about the publishing activities mentioned briefly by the Union for the Liberation of Ukraine is undoubtedly found in the archives of many countries. However, each should be evaluated separately because these publications vary from one country to another. Therefore, making this book available to our readers in Turkey, especially in Turkish, has brought us special joy. This work, which will serve as an example of how such events unfolded, is dedicated to the Ukrainian people who are once again struggling with war these days.