Based on the modern theoretical and methodological approaches, regularities and features of the emergence, formation, and functioning of the press of Ukrainian political parties and movements in Galicia in 1890–1914 are identified, and the characteristics of legislative, organizational, and creative aspects of press activity are presented.
The theoretical and methodological approaches regarding the correlation of general and specific in the history and typology of the press space of Galicia used in the research allow us to formulate our own approach to define the concepts of «press of political movements» and «party press».
On the other hand, the party press itself is understood as a group of publications (periodical and non-periodical), founded by a specific political party, and whose main purpose is to ensure political communication both among fellow party members and with other political forces, as well as propaganda and dissemination of ideas and views of «their own» party political power among the public and engaging of a new electorate.
Usually, the emergence of a new political force was soon followed by the appearance of its first printed organ (and further on, the following). There were also cases when, on the contrary, a printed body, the editors and contributors of which formed a circle of like-minded people, was first created, and later a political force was formed on this basis.
The historiographical aspects of the research consider the dynamics of the scientific understanding of the history of the Ukrainian press and journalism of Galicia and the development of the areas for scientific works dedicated to it (summary works, the study of individual periods and issues, national and macro-regional traditions, criticism of the ideas of individual researchers regarding institutionalization and theoretical and methodological aspects of the history of the development of political and party press of the specified period, etc).
The source base of the dissertation research included several main blocks: archival materials discovered by the author personally, direct content of political and party periodicals, correspondence of editors of publications with readers and patrons on the widest range of issues, and scientific reference publications.
It is summarized that each separate party publication is a living, concrete-historical social and creative organism, an ideological phenomenon, a political and cultural achievement of society, and a product of the work of specific people.
Among the typological variety of first edition press of Galicia, political editions are singled out, and media trends that determined the emergence of purely party publications are traced. On the basis of a significant number of sources, the prerequisites for the emergence of party press bodies in Galicia were analyzed, and their role as the subject and object of the processes of party building was determined.
The conclusion about the four directions (or branches) of the Ukrainian political circles of the studied period was made. The oldest in terms of the time of formation is Russophilian (Moscophilian), and the next one is Narodovsky (or also – Narodovetsky). At about the same time, a socialist direction is being formed, and it gravitates towards the so-called Austro-Marxism, and also the clerical one, which, in those historical conditions, is quite close to Narodovsky. Each of the factions had its own print media, which fought for the «Ruthenian» (Ukrainian) audience.
It was concluded in the research about the crucial role of the political journalist because, at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries, it was political journalism that often opened the way to big politics.
The study serves as a basis for the further scientific and theoretical study of the functioning of the party press in the conditions of historical disturbances, and for the creation of a scientific basis for other prospective studies, the main results of which should be the development of theoretical and practical media models of the party press. The results of the research can be used in the practical activity of modern political parties, which get the opportunity to creatively apply the historical experience of creating party printed organs, and syncretically combine them with new media.
