Cheremisin A.
Doctor of historical sciences, professor of the chair of philosophy and social-
humanitarian disciplines of Kherson State Agrarian University, Kherson, Ukraine
LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT IN THE SOUTH OF UKRAINE IN THE
LIGHT OF THE REGIONAL-INDIVIDUAL THEORY IN THE END
OF XVIII – THE BEGINNING OF XX CENTURY
Introduction. At the present stage of Ukrainian state-building it has become a
truism to say that today’s stage of development of the science of history is characterized
by heightened interest in the historical past of certain regions and understanding that
the development of historical regionalism should be provisional for studying the
processes which took place in the country on the whole. It is absolutely true if we speak
about so specific and, at the same time, very important region as the south of Ukraine.
This very region, which includes the Crimea and Donbas, has been in the focus of
attention of the whole world for the recent years. The problem of manipulating facts,
which is to a great extent connected with history of cities of this region, takes not the
least place in an instrumental charger of the informational war being a part and parcel
of the hybrid war in the east of Ukraine. In the above circumstances it is very important
to carry out scientific researches in the sphere of municipal history of the region.
Traditionally the scheme of local self-government was interpreted within the two
theories: self-governmental by A. Vasilchikov [2] (writer and public figure, lawyer by
profession) and state by A. Gradovskiy [4] (professor in law, publicist, writer and
teacher).
The self-governmental theory was to prove the essence of division between local
and state government. A. Vasilchikov opposed administrative government to self-
government on the strength of the thesis that local government was to serve economical
interests of local population. According to his ideas local self-government is absolutely
independent and should not be under control of administrative and state authorities.
A. Gradovskiy proposed state theory. He regarded civil bodies as part of state
authorities (governmental apparatus), as a form of «local self-government» in
particular, on the same level as the government office, various departmental
committees of the ministries.
In the real life self-governmental theory and state theory were ideal constructions
which only partly described the essentials of civil government in the south of Ukraine.
Before 1870, as they were founded on the principles of decentralization, municipalities
were more close to the state theory, after 1870 – to the self-governmental theory and
after 1892 – again to the state theory. Thus, the Russian state did not answer the
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