The role of the “Springtime of the Peoples” in the development of the Ruthenian / Ukrainian national movement in Galicia

Abstract

The process of Ukrainian national revival in Eastern Galicia, that could be traced back to the 1830s and was led by the Greek Catholic clergy, refrained from supporting national aspirations until the mid-19th century. Thus, the national movement of Ruthenians, which developed under the influence of the Polish culture within the province, did not reach the level of independent socio-political organization in Galicia until the age of the revolutions of 1848. The events of the “Springtime of the Peoples” made it possible for the cultural-educational activities of the Galician Ruthenian intelligentsia to be transformed into a national-political movement and for their cultural struggle to continue on a political platform. An important role in this change was also played by the fact that the Viennese government embraced the issue of Ukrainian national rebirth to hinder Polish national aspirations. Although the Galician policy of the Viennese government favoured the Ruthenian national aspirations only occasionally and in response to pressure from the Poles, it still provided them with a much freer framework than the Tsarist court.