Poltaves S. Evolution and peculiarities of political thought during Khmelnitchyna period.

The dissertation provides analysis of formation and evolution of political thought for the Khmelnitchyna period, its role in social and political processes of that time and in the following years. The work further developed the statement, that Ukrainian national revolution in XVII century, political practice of Khmelnitchyna period had a serious mentality basis, as well as political and social foundation in outlook and mentality of Ukrainian people, ideas of historic and polemic literature, works of Ukrainian Renaissance, Humanism and Reformation artists, Cossack ideology and "Rus ideas", traditions of Ukrainian statehood, Cossack and civic self-government. The present work studies the historical development of Ukrainian society after the Kievan Rus in the direction of Ukrainian nation's formation, development of national self-consciousness and political orientations, aiming at obtaining own state sovereignty. Also the study focuses on the role of Ukrainian elite and gentry, their mainly positive although sometimes controversial role that helped to maintain and develop Ukrainian people in ethnical, national, spiritual, economic and territorial spheres. The thesis accumulates factors that formed the political thoughts, political orientations and self-consciousness of Ukrainian people in the Khmelnitchyna period, among which the dominant ones were the factors of local social, political, historical and cultural being. It also sums up the materials, providing evidence for the continuity of state building traditions of Rus people, for the fact that at the beginning of Hmelnitchina period a number of political ideas and state building conceptions was at place. The major outcomes of this work were highlighted in the articles in specialized editions.