MENTALITY INFLUENCE ON POLITICAL EVENTS IN UKRAINE

Danylo Stonis

doi:10.23856/4327

Danylo Stonis Charles University in Prague http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4771-0144

Keywords: Ukraine, Mentality, Society, Liberty, Freedom, Self-governance, Election

Abstract

Since the declaration of independence, Ukraine has been involved in a rapid pace of events, aimed at building statehood and understanding the direction of the political course. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand why, despite a series of revolutions, Russian aggression and numerous difficult steps to democratize the country through decentralization and territorial development, Ukraine has not yet formed a clear political course and ensured the stability of key state institutions, such as judicial, police and taxation systems. Such questions arise quite often and probably do not have an unambiguous answer. This article is devoted to those aspects of the Ukrainian mentality that have caused the current political situation in the state. The article reveals why, despite a series of revolutions, Russian aggression and a number of important steps to democratize countries through decentralization and territorial development, Ukraine does not form a clear political course and does not ensure the stability of key state institutions, such as the judicial, police and tax systems. The article utilizes the method of analysis, which is based on the comparison of historical events and their reflection in modern conditions. In addition to the aforementioned, the method of induction is introduced, which provides possibility of identifying a pattern in the presence of a limited amount of observations of recurring historical events. The article contains sections that consistently consider the historical facts, that have influenced the formation of the mentality of Ukraine, which has a significant impact on the formation of society and the choice of the leader, elected by the society. The article seeks to reveal the causes of certain political events in Ukraine from the influence of the Ukrainian mentality on them and to consider those aspects of it that hinder or help Ukrainians in the difficult process of state building. The purpose of the article is to determine the factors shaping the Ukrainian mentality that have an impact on the political processes that have been taking place for decades in Ukraine. The article does not criticize or accept the Ukrainian mentality, but on the contrary, reveals its historical stages of formation and influence on political processes in Ukraine in order to analyze, understand and predict them.

References

1. Abramova, I. G. (2008). Do problemy ukrainskoii mentalnosti [To the problem of Ukrainian mentality]. Visnyk Zaporizkoho natsionalnoho universytetu – Bulletin of the Zaporizhzhia National University, 2, 7-11. Retrieved from https://web.znu.edu.ua/herald/issues/2008/fil_2008_1_2/2008-26-06/abramova.pdf [in Ukrainian].
2. Danyliuk, Ivan. (2010). Etnichna Psykhologiia yak haluz naukovoho znannia: istoryko-teoretychny vymir [Ethnic psychology as a branch of scientific knowledge: historical and theoretical dimension]. Kyiv: Sammit-knyha [in Ukrainian].
3. Halushko, K.Y. (2009). Mentalnist, Mentalitet [Mentality, Mindset]. Entsyklopediia istorii Ukrainy – Encyclopedia of the History of Ukraine, (Vol. 6), [in Ukrainian].
4. Krymsky, S., Zablotsky, V. (2002). Mentalnist [Mentality]. V. I. Shynkaruk (Eds.), Filosofsky entsyklopedychny slovnyk – Philosophic encyclopedic dictionary: The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Hryhorii Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy. Kyiv: Abrys, 2002.
5. Liskovych, M. (2020). Mistsevi vybory-2020: pidsumky, tendentsii ta shcho bude dali [Local elections 2020: results, trends and what will happen next]. Ukrinform. Retrieved from https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-elections/3142240-miscevi-vibori2020-pidsumki-tendencii-ta-sobude-dali.html [in Ukrainian].
6. Malko, R. (2020). Oksana Savchuk: “Krainou keruyut liudy, yaki duzhe zalezhni vid dumky oliharkhiv [The state is governed by people, who heavily depend on oligarchs’ opinion]. Ukrainsky Tyzhden – The Ukrainian Week. Retrieved from https://tyzhden.ua/Politics/248863 [in Ukrainian].
7. Mistsevi vybory Ukrayina 2020. Tsentralna vyborcha komisiya [Local elections Ukraine 2020. Central electoral commission]. Retrieved from https://www.cvk.gov.ua/pls/vm2020/pvm002pt-001f01=695pt00_t001f01=695.html [in Ukrainian].
8. Popovych, M. V., Kysliakovska, I. V., Viatkina, N. B., Navrotsky, V. V., Vasylchenko, A.A., Kokhan, Y. O., et al. (2006). Problemy teorii mentalnosti [Problems of mentality theory]. Kyiv: Naukova Dumka. Retrieved from http://www.filosof.com.ua/Mentaltheorie/P11.pdf [in Ukrainian].
9. Vashchenko, H. H. (1992). Psykhichni vlastyvosti ukraintsiv i prychyna nashykh nevdach [Mental properties of Ukrainians and the reason of our failures]. Ridna shkola – Dear School, 2, 31-35 [in Ukrainian].
10. Vonsovych, H. B. (2008). Rysy mentalnosti ukrainstva yak skladova politychnoi svidomosti [Features of the Ukrainian mentality as a component of political consciousness]. Problemy suchasnoi psykhologii – Problems of the modern Psychology, 2, 63-74. Retrieved from http://journals.uran.ua/index.php/2227-6246/article/view/163230/162200 [in Ukrainian].
11. Wynnyckyj M. (2020). Unravelling the Ukrainian Revolution: “Dignity,” “Fairness,” “Heterarchy,” and the Challenge to Modernity. Kyiv-Mohyla Humanities Journal, 7, 123-140. Retrieved from http://kmhj.ukma.edu.ua/index.php/2313-4895/index.
12. Yavornytsky D. I. (1990). Istoriya Zaporozhskikh Kazakov [The History of the Zaporizhzhia Cossacks]. Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, 1990. Retrieved from http://www.cossackdom.com/book/bookyvor/izk2/214.html [in Russian].