Yevhen Chykalenko Landlord Democracy

Abstract

The aim of the article is to analyse Ye. Chykalenko's measures for the practical application and dissemination of advanced agricultural technologies to farms. It is based on Ye. Chykalenko's memoirs and materials of statistical and economic descriptions. The methodological basis of the research was formed by the principles of scientific objectivity, historicism, consistency in combination with general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special historical (historical-genetic, historical-typological, prosographic) methods. Scientific оriginality lies in the positioning of Ye. Chykalenko as a large landowner with a progressive vision of the organization of agricultural production and a democratic pro-Ukrainian worldview. Having a Cossack origin and being connected to the land through his family, having received a good education, positioning a clear pro-Ukrainian worldview, Ye. Chykalenko focused his activities on improving the living conditions of peasants, especially those around him, but with a broader perspective on all of Ukraine. As the goodman, he was interested in the black steam technology, which became particularly relevant in the arid southern Ukrainian steppes. Ye. Chykalenko made a lot of efforts to convince the peasants of the need for practical implementation of intensive agricultural technologies, which had some success. Realizing that the experience of introducing effective methods of farming did not affect the villagers because of its implementation on large areas, he began to reduce the size of his farm, giving land to peasants for use on certain conditions. After the introduction of these innovations, the efficiency of Pereshory farms' managing has significantly increased, as evidenced by the absence of arrears on them. Observing the suffering of peasants from lack of money and the need to take them at a very high-interest rate, Ye. Chykalenko helped to create savings and loan companies in Pereshory and Kononivka. He did a lot to raise the Ukrainian consciousness of the peasants. Conclusions. Ye. Chykalenko is a representative of the Ukrainian elite of the early ХХ century, who, having an education, realizing and appreciating the Ukrainian origin, contemplated and understood the sores on the situation of the peasantry, saw prospects for overcoming systemic problems in attracting the peasants themselves to new dimensions of agrarian life and as much as he could, implemented them "to the depth of his pocket".