A History from Olympian heights? Arnold J. Toynbee’s vision of Ukraine

Анотація

This article discusses the reflections on Ukraine and its past of Arnold J. Toynbee, one of the leading British historians of the twentieth century. Within the complex realm of international affairs and comparative history – always at the forefront of his interests – he assigned pride of place to such generally neglected subject in the British intellectual milieu as the Ukrainian problem. At first Toynbee heard about Ukraine from “an importunate and exotic freshman,” Lewis Namier, who studied with him at Balliol College, Oxford. Growing up with the problem of Eastern Galicia, Namier, even living abroad often told about his developed sympathy for the native Ruthenian population. The events of the World War I provoked the British attention on the local problems of the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires and of course Тoynbee did not stay aloof.

The historian from the beginning of the war decided to explain to the British public the complications that lay behind the assassination at Sarajevo. Toynbee’s first book, The Nationality and the War tells about that the peace is possible when the local people will have freedom of choice in all spheres. The author also recognizes the complexity of the Ukrainian issue. At first, the territory of Ukraine was divided into two parts, which located in two different empires. Second, none of this empires not recognized the Ukrainian population as a separate nation. Despite Russian cliché Toynbee well understood that “Little Russians” or Ukrainians had had a much more ancient and brilliant culture and history than the “Great Russians”.

The second work of historian was “The New Europe,” some essays in reconstruction. The author again maintains his opinion on the absolute difference between the Ukrainian and Russian people. Nevertheless he did not allow the idea of Ukraine’s independence and tied its future only in federative union with Russia. Toynbee, however, came to significant conclusions, which he later developed in his fundamental A Study of History. The Ukrainian territories are located “between the North and the South, the forest and the steppe”, had cultural influenced from every side. This information is important for understanding further historical processes.

Toynbee’s whole theory of comparative history stood on his concept of civilizations however he does not consider Ukraine or Great Russia to be one of the world’s twenty-one distinct civilizations or even a satellite one. These lands are referred to Byzantine Orthodox civilization. In his post-World War II writings Toynbee analyses the confrontation between the USA and the Soviet Union of the Cold War and he clearly understood willingness of the Ukrainians to independence. As a consequence Toynbee helped to acquaint the western public with Ukraine, furthermore he explains important aspects of Ukraine’s development as a region at a crossroads of various cultural and political influences, but ignores some aspects that do not fit into his scheme.