Directorate of Ukraine

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The Directorate, or Directory (Ukrainian: Директорія, Dyrektoriya) was a government of the Ukrainian National Republic formed in 1918 in rebellion against Skoropadsky's Hetmanate.

[edit] History

With the defeat of the Central Powers in the First world war, Skoropadsky could no longer rely on Germany and Austria-Hungary's support. In November 1918, Skoropadky's opponents set up a rival body known as the Directory, whose forces were headed by the newly reformed Sich Rifles. Most of Skoropadsky's troops joined with the Directory. Skoropadsky turned to many White Russian officers on their way to fight alongside Denikin, forming them into a Special Corps, but these troops could not face the Directory troops. In December 1918, the Directory troops took Kiev and overthrew Skoropadsky's regime.

The Directory re-established the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR). The new regime was torn between the Ukrainian Nationalists and the Russian Federalists, and the Nationalists won, and the Directory began to be dominated by the Ukrainian Nationalist leader, Symon Petliura.

Faced by many enemies on all sides the UNR's army was organised to face each threat. To the North-east were the Bolsheviks, to the south-east were the Russian Whites, to the south-west Romanians who had claims on territory there, and the French intervention force took Odessa in December 1918 to fill the power vacuum left by the withdrawing Austrians and Germans. Coming quickly to terms with the French and the Romanians, the UNR's army was able to employ more men on other fronts.

With major fighting breaking out in January 1919, the Ukrainians were pushed back and Kiev fell in February 1919. By May, the Directory's armies had been squeezed into a narrow strip of land around Brody. They then negotiated with the Poles, who were attacking the Ukrainians from behind, with this ceasefire, the Ukrainians were able to counter-attack and re-take Podilia and established a new capital in Kamianets-Podilskyi. In June, the UNR's forces were joined by the Western Ukrainian Republic's forces, who had been pushed out of Galicia by the Poles. In May 1919, General Denikin and his white army launched an offensive against the Reds, during Summer and Autumn, Denikin pushed the Reds out of Central and Eastern Ukraine, the Directory took this advantage to re-take Kiev. But for all this, Red counter attacks and a deadly typhus epidemic caused the Ukrainians to be pushed out of Ukrainian territory completely into Polish lands.

In 1920, the Poles helped form two new Ukrainian divisions and joined with each other after the defeat of Denikin. A UNR-Polish Treaty in April 1920 provided for combined operations between the two armies under overall Polish command. In the Soviet-Polish war of 1920, the Poles and Ukrainians advanced side by side, and the UNR was set up again when they re-took Kiev. But a Summer counter-offensive left the Poles and Ukrainians retreating, an armistice was signed in late 1920. With this great disappointment, the UNR forces launched an attack on their own against the Reds from Polish territory, however this was quickly beaten. They were forced back into Galicia, which became part of Polish territory in the Treaty of Riga.

[edit] Members

  • Volodymyr Vynnychenko (Chairman 14 November 1918 - 11 February 1919)
  • Semen Petlura (Ukrainian Social Democratic Workers' Party and delegate of the Silh Riflemen. Member from 14 November 1918, Chairman 11 February 1919)
  • Fedir Shvets (representing the Peasant Associations. Member 14 November 1918)
  • Andrii Makarenko (Non-Partisan member, delegate of the Railway Workers. Member 14 November 1918)
  • Opanas Andriievsky (Member 14 November 1918. He left the Directory in connection with Otaman Volodymyr Oskilko's uprising in 1919)
  • Yevhen Petrushevych (At the end of March 1919, Petrushevych, the President of the Ukrainian National Rada of the Ukrainian National Republic, joined the Directory, in accordance with a resolution of the Labour Congress, but he did not actually participate in rhe Directory's work and eventually resigned from it).