Occupants or Allies: The Views of Modern Ukrainian Historians on the Intervention of the Central Powers in Ukraine in 1918

The author of the article examines views of modern Ukrainian historians on the problem of deployment of Austro-German forces on the territory of Ukraine in 1918. The paper shows a comparative analysis of the points of view of Ukrainian researchers on this problem, reveals the discussion in Ukrainian historiography regarding the use of the term «occupation» in the context of the policy of the Central Power Conclusions: the use of the term «occupation» is generally recognized among Ukrainian historians. Researchers consciously and argumentatively call the actions of the Austro-German troops occupation, and any attempts to abandon this interpretation cause resistance from the scientific community and reflects the attitude of Ukrainian historians to attempts to the absence of this term. The aim of the article is to analyze the existing views of Ukrainian historians on the problem of deployment of Austro-German forces on the territory of Ukraine in 1918. At the same time, Ukrainian historiography was able to come to a comprehensive understanding of the policy of Germany and Austria-Hungary in 1918, which combines both the idea of the Austro-German occupation and the idea of allied assistance from Germany and Austria-Hungary to the Ukrainian People's Republic in the fight against the Bolsheviks. It is revealed that both of these views not only do not contradict, but also complement each other. The special value of the works of R. Ya. Pirig and V. F. Soldatenko is noted. It is concluded that the synthesis of «occupation» and «allied» interpretations became the basis for the concept of «atypical occupation», which most accurately reflects the significance of the Austro-German intervention for the Ukrainian People's Republic.

Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ukrainian People's Republic, Revolution, Occupation, Historiography