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Kharkov and Political Parties
In 1900, students at the University of Kharkov founded Ukraines very first political party, The Revolutionary Ukrainian Party. The government at the time had prohibited Ukrainian groups, sensing the threat of the growing Ukrainian nationalism throughout the late 1800s. This political party was formed by Marxists and nationalists who did not support the all-Russian revolutionary parties and desired a distinct Ukrainian party. As the party disagreed on platform and program, a split occurred and a second Ukrainian nationalist party was formed, the Ukrainian People’s Party. These two groups disagreed on what should come first, social change or national liberation. Soon, Ukrainian parties formed, each drawing inspiration from the first one founded in Kharkov. In 1905, the first ever Russian parliament was formed and held elections. The Ukrainian activists tried to get a hold on seats within the parliament and demanded for the use of Ukrainian language in schools, among other administrative reforms that would allow for the rise of a Ukrainian identity. Over the next decade, the parliament was unstable, dissolving and reconvening sporadically. The absolvement of the parliament ended the chances for the Ukrainians to grasp power on a larger level.
The nationalist movement throughout the 1800s in Kharkov showed the dissatisfaction of the Ukrainians towards the Russian Empire. The Ukrainians in the region had no social, economic, or political advantages in the Empire due to their ethnicity. In order to become more integrated in Russian society, they had to become more “Russian” through assimilation and adoption of culture and identity that was different from their own. This forced integration stemming from St. Petersburg resulted in growing discontent among the Ukrainians who began to search for an identity that best fit their own culture and societies.