Central Rada

Home About IEU

User Info Index Search Contact Address

Search ADV Text Title

Central Rada

<<< print >>>

Central Rada (Центральна Рада; Tsentralna

Rada). At first, an all-Ukrainian center that
united political, community, cultural, and
professional organizations; later, after the All-
Ukrainian National Congress (17–21 April
1917), the revolutionary parliament of
Ukraine that directed the Ukrainian national
movement and by the four Universals of the
Central Rada led Ukraine from autonomy to

independence.

The Central Rada was founded in Kyiv on 17

March 1917 on the initiative of the Society of
Ukrainian Progressives with the participation of other political parties.

Mykhailo Hrushevsky was chosen in absentia as the chairman of the Rada,

with Dmytro Antonovych and Dmytro Doroshenko as his deputies. After the
All-Ukrainian National Congress the Rada was composed of 150 members,
elected from Ukrainian political parties, professional and cultural

organizations, and delegates from the gubernias. At the congress a new

presidium of the Rada was elected, with Hrushevsky as president and Serhii
Yefremov and Volodymyr Vynnychenko as vice-presidents. To take care of
current matters, the Rada chose an executive committee, later renamed the
Little Rada, which consisted of members of the presidium, secretaries of the
Rada, and two representatives from each political party. All important matters
were first decided by meetings of the Little Rada; later the proposals drawn up
were ratified by the plenum of the Central Rada. During its existence the Rada
held nine plenary sessions.

Even before the proclamation of the First Universal (see Universals of the Central Rada),
membership in the Rada was increased by 130 members delegated by the second of the All-
Ukrainian military congresses (18–23 June 1917) and 133 members of the All-Ukrainian

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CC%5CE%5CCentralRada.htm[2/10/2018 1:05:43 AM]

Central Rada

Council of Peasants' Deputies, elected at the first of the All-Ukrainian peasant congresses (15
June 1917). After the proclamation of Ukrainian autonomy (in the First Universal, 23 June
1917), the Rada choose the General Secretariat of the Central Rada—the autonomous
government of Ukraine. Having won recognition by the Russian Provisional Government
(proclaimed in the Second Universal, 16 July 1917), the Central Rada increased its
membership by 100 representatives elected at the first of the All-Ukrainian workers'
congresses (24–27 July 1917) and by representatives of the national minorities. By the end of
July 1917 the Rada consisted of 822 deputies, who represented the following groups: the All-
Ukrainian Council of Peasants' Deputies (212), the All-Ukrainian Council of Military
Deputies (158), the All-Ukrainian Council of Workers' Deputies (100), non-Ukrainian
workers' and soldiers' councils (50), Ukrainian socialist parties (20), Russian socialist parties
(40), Jewish socialist parties (35), Polish socialist parties (15), cities, towns, and gubernias (84),
and professional, educational, economic, and community organizations and the national
minorities—Moldavians, Germans, Tatars, Belarusians (108). Out of the 822 members, the 58
members of the Little Rada were chosen, with 18 of these representing the national
minorities.

On 21–28 September 1917 the Central Rada held the Congress of the Peoples of Russia in
Kyiv.

After the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia, the Rada proclaimed the Ukrainian National
Republic, designating its territory and its federal relationship with Russia (Third Universal,
20 November 1917). At the same time the Rada passed a law on elections to the Constituent
Assembly of Ukraine, as well as several other laws (on the courts, the printing of UNR
credit notes, etc). The Rada had the support of the majority of the population of Ukraine, as
was shown in the election to the All-Russian Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1917
(Ukrainian parties received 75 percent of the vote; the Bolsheviks, only 10 percent).

As early as the end of November 1917 the Bolsheviks were preparing to seize power in
Ukraine. The Bolshevik government of Russia sent an ultimatum to Ukraine (17 December
1917), which the Rada rejected. The Bolshevik army then began its military campaign against
Ukraine. The All-Ukrainian Congress of Workers', Soldiers', and Peasants' Deputies,
convoked in Kyiv on 17 December 1917, proclaimed its complete confidence in and support
for the Central Rada. The Bolshevik deputies left for Kharkiv, where, on 25 December, they
established a rival government, the People's Secretariat, opposed to the Central Rada and the
General Secretariat. At the same time the Rada sent a delegation to the peace negotiations
with the Central Powers in Brest. At the height of the Ukrainian-Soviet War and in the midst
of the peace negotiations, the Central Rada proclaimed the Fourth Universal (25 January
1918), which declared the Ukrainian National Republic an independent and sovereign state;
the General Secretariat of the Central Rada was renamed the Council of National Ministers
of the Ukrainian National Republic. Following the declaration, the Central Rada passed a
series of laws, establishing the eight-hour work day, land reform (see Land law, Land
reforms), and, during its stay in Zhytomyr and Sarny in Volhynia, laws on the monetary
system, a national coat of arms, citizenship in the UNR, and the administrative-territorial
division of the territory of Ukraine. The most important legislative act of the Central Rada

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CC%5CE%5CCentralRada.htm[2/10/2018 1:05:43 AM]

Central Rada

was the adoption of the Constitution of the Ukrainian National Republic (29 April 1918).
The presiding officer of the parliament was simultaneously president of the UNR. Mykhailo
Hrushevsky was elected the first president.

After the signing of the Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (9 February 1918), the German army
took over the Ukrainian territory that had been occupied by the Bolsheviks, but conflict
ensued between the Germans and the Ukrainian National Republic because of German
interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine. On 28 April an armed German detachment
even broke into a meeting of the Central Rada and arrested two ministers of the UNR. On 29
April a coup took place with the support of the German army, and Gen Pavlo Skoropadsky
was proclaimed hetman of the Ukrainian State. Hetman Skoropadsky dissolved the Central
Rada and the Little Rada by an edict and revoked the laws that had been passed by them.

During its existence the Central Rada was headed by M. Hrushevsky. Its deputy-heads were
Serhii Veselovsky, Mykola Shrah, Andrii Nikovsky, and F. Kryzhanivsky, and its secretaries
were Mykhailo Yeremiiv, Mykola Chechel, Antin Postolovsky, Ya. Levchenko, and Yevhen
Onatsky. Its governments went through multiple changes under the leadership of Volodymyr
Vynnychenko (28 June 1917–30 January 1918) and Vsevolod Holubovych (30 January 1918–
29 April 1918).

The official publication of the Central Rada was Visty z Ukraïns’koï Tsentral’noï Rady
(April–November 1917), while the official publication of the government of the Ukrainian
National Republic was Vistnyk Heneral’noho Sekretariiatu Ukraïny, which began publication in
November 1917.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hrushevs’kyi, M. Na porozi novoï Ukraïny (Kyiv 1918)
Shul’hyn, O. Polityka (Kyiv 1918)
Vynnychenko, V. Vidrodzhennia natsiï, 1-3 (Kyiv–Vienna 1920)
Khrystiuk, P. Zamitky i materiialy do istoriï ukraïns’koï revoliutsiï 1917–1920 rr., 1-2 (Vienna 1921;
New York 1969)
Doroshenko, D. Istoriia Ukraïny 1917–1923, vol 1: Doba Tsentral’noï Rady (Uzhhorod 1932; repr,
New York 1954)
Reshetar, J. The Ukrainian Revolution 1917–1920: A Study in Nationalism (Princeton 1952; New
York 1972)
Pidhainy, O. The Formation of the Ukrainian Republic (Toronto–New York 1966)
Kedrovs’kyi, V. 1917 rik (Winnipeg 1967)
Hunczak, T. (ed). The Ukraine, 1917–1921: A Study in Revolution (Cambridge, Mass. 1977)
Verstiuk, V. Ukraïns’ka tsentral’na rada: Dokumenty i materialy. 2 vols (Kyiv 1996–7)
Smolii, V. (ed). Tsentral’na Rada i ukraïns’kyi derzhavotvorchyi protses (Kyiv 1997)
Verstiuk, V.Ukraïns’ka tsentral’na rada: Navchal’nyi posibnyk (Kyiv 1997)

A. Zhukovsky

  [This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 1 (1984).]

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CC%5CE%5CCentralRada.htm[2/10/2018 1:05:43 AM]

Central Rada

List of related links from Encyclopedia of Ukraine pointing to Central Rada entry:

1 All-Russian Constituent Assembly

2 All-Ukrainian Congress of Workers', Soldiers', and Peasants' Deputies

3 All-Ukrainian Council of Peasants' Deputies

4 All-Ukrainian Council of Workers' Deputies

5 All-Ukrainian military congresses

6 All-Ukrainian National Congress

7 All-Ukrainian peasant congresses

8 All-Ukrainian workers' congresses
9 Archives

10 Army of the Ukrainian National Republic

11 Arsenal
12 Autonomy
13 Belarus
14 Bessarabia

15 Bosh, Yevheniia
16 Brest-Litovsk, Peace Treaty of
17 Bund
18 Chancellor

19 Chechel, Mykola
20 Chekhivsky, Volodymyr

+ 20 Records >>

A referral to this page is found in 148 entries.

Click Home to get to the IEU Home page; to contact the IEU editors click Contact.

To learn more about IEU click About IEU and to view the list of donors and to become an IEU
supporter click Donors.
 

 
Home | Contact | About IEU | Donors

©2001 All Rights Reserved. Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies.
 

http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CC%5CE%5CCentralRada.htm[2/10/2018 1:05:43 AM]