Оleksandr Danylenko
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor,
Professor of the Department of Modern History of Ukraine,
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv,
Kyiv, Ukraine
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9246-6574
DOI: 10.17721/2522-4611.2025.51.5
FOREIGN POLICY REPRESENTATION OF THE USSR
IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (EARLY 1920S)
Relevance of the topic. The challenges facing Ukraine at the present stage require a more thorough study of the past, especially the period of 1917-1920, when significant transformations in the socio-economic, political, and international spheres took place on Ukrainian lands. First of all, it is important to understand the process of forming a unitary Soviet state in the early 1920s through the prism of the unification initiatives of the center, the removal of Ukrainian republican authorities from decision-making, and the deprivation of Ukrainian party leaders of influence, in particular in the implementation of international initiatives and commitments. The methodology is based on the general scientific principles of historicism, objectivity, chronological sequence, systematicity and comprehensiveness, which allows tracing the course of events in the context of the Ukrainian SSR’s foreign relations before the creation of the USSR. The comparative historical method is used to track the dynamics of transformations in the system of management and control over the republics’ foreign relations, and the redistribution of rights and responsibilities between the republican and central authorities. The purpose of the article is to emphasize the main events that influenced the intensity of the international activity of the Ukrainian SSR in the early 1920s, and which must be considered in a complex for a holistic understanding of the events of that time. The scientific novelty lies in tracing the processes and changes that took place in the power structures of the Ukrainian SSR in the realization of its foreign policy interests before the creation of the unitary Soviet state. Conclusions. It is established that during 1919-1923 Ukraine performed a significant amount of functions of a subject of international relations with a gradual reduction and narrowing due to constitutional restrictions after 1923 and the strengthening of the unitary Soviet state. It is emphasized that the entry of the USSR into the international arena as a subject of international law in September 1923 did not become a complete end to interstate and international relations for Soviet Ukraine, although the form of realization of the international legal personality of the Ukrainian SSR was changed.
Key words: Ukrainian SSR, USSR, representation, embassy, international relations, foreign policy, diplomatic relations.
Received by the editorial board: 21.03.2025.
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