OLEXANDR ZAHRODSKYI: LIFE TO SERVE UKRAINE

Abstract

The Purpose of the Research. The personal qualities of one of the prominent participants in the national liberation competitions, a colonel general, Olexandr Olexandrovych Zahrodskyi (1889 – 1968) are of a significant scientific and generally cognitive interest in the context of the human, patriotic, civic, and ultimately military qualities. They form the holistic vision of the liberation struggle leaders. First of all, the aim is to investigate not only the motivation of his crucial decisionmaking and actions, but at the same time, it is equally important to explore the internal nature of the instigating moments of the soldier’s psychology and the military leader as such. The Research Methodology. In the article the extraordinary personality scientific, historical and interdisciplinary methods of the research have been used, based on the principles of the historical veracity, objectivity, consistency, comprehensiveness and a multiple factor analysis. The Scientific Novelty. The formation of O. O. Zahrodskyi’s personality traits has been analyzed for the first time. The emphasis was made on the peculiarities of the family education, the village environment and its influence on the future soldier’s character. The determination and the strong volitional qualities, which led to a fundamental change in the future life path, have been emphasized. At the same time, a sufficient level of knowledge, needed for the future military career, the capability of making the sound decisions, especially the fateful ones, which change the later life paradigm, have been highlighted. It is worth emphasizing that the universal human values and qualities of O. O. Zahrodskyi’s personality have been revealed not only during the period of the national liberation struggle but also in emigration. The Conclusions. The formation of O. O. Zahrodskyi’s personality as a future Colonel General of the UNR Army started at the end of the XIXth century in the social environment of Ukraine by means of the family education. He was brought up in the priest’s family. His further life, a conscious choice to follow a warrior’s destiny, the participation in World War I and the gained experience led to his transfer in November 1917 to the military formations of the Central Council of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR). This move was perceived as a motivated step, determined by the inner nature of his extraordinary personality.