Parliamentary activity of Mykola Vasyľko at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries (based on materials from the «Ruslan» newspaper)

Abstract

This article analyzes the parliamentary activity of Mykola Vasyľko – one of the leading figures of the Ukrainian political movement in Bukovyna at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The main objective of the study is to identify the nature, content, and significance of his participation in the political process of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as the specific features of media coverage of his activities in the newspaper «Ruslan». Based on the analysis of parliamentary speeches, publications, and legislative initiatives, the article identifies the principal directions of Vasyľko’s political engagement: the struggle for equal national representation, resistance to Romanianization, defense of Ukrainian educational rights, criticism of the discriminatory electoral system, and attempts to consolidate the Ukrainian parliamentary community.

The results of the study demonstrate that Mykola Vasyľko played a crucial role in shaping modern Ukrainian parliamentarism within the multiethnic framework of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Through the lens of «Ruslan», the article explores not only his rhetoric and political strategies but also the internal conflicts within the Ukrainian parliamentary faction, which significantly influenced the effectiveness of their struggle for national rights. The study also outlines prospects for further research related to the analysis of Ukrainian press strategies in the context of electoral competition and multiethnic parliamentary dynamics.