Petrovska N. Rural self-government on the lands of left-bank Ukraine in the middle of the XIXth – beginning of the XXth centuries

Presented for the defence manuscript is devoted to the problem of organization and legal bases of the peasants’ self-government bodies functioning on the lands of left-bank Ukraine in the middle of the XIXth – beginning of the XXth centuries. The author has given a complete analysis of the legal regulations of the peasants’ self-government bodies activity, defined the main directions and forms of peasants’ self-government bodies activity as to meeting the requirements of the rural population, examined the level of political culture of the left-bank Ukrainian provinces, disclosed the characteristic features of the realization of the obtained during the reform period rights and freedoms by the rural population representa-tives via the rural and volost government bodies, characterized the state policy concerning the peasants’ self-government, investigated the legal aspects of official relations between the government bodies representatives and the peasants’ self-government bodies. In the course of the research, the process of practical activity of the peasants’ self-government bodies has been analysed. The obtained results testify the following. In spite of a very wide list of powers, the practical activity of the peasants’ self-government bodies concerning the realiza-tion of the given functions should be called satisfactory. The proper attention wasn’t given to the tasks confronting the peasants’ self-government bodies such as: the improvement of material and spiritual conditions of the Ukrainian peasants’ life. During the full length of time: the middle of the XIXth – beginning of the XXth centuries a rather high index of corruption and abuse the power and position among the officials of rural administration is preserved.