Thread by @VlStarodubtsev

1/ Lviv is one of the few Ukrainian cities really appreciating its history. On the streets of the city you can see monuments and signs everywhere to famous socialists and national heroes, as well as more controversial ones; monuments of lawyers, doctors and so on.

2/ The city values a lot their fight for indepdence and civil rights. You can see especially monuments to famous members of Ukrainian People’s Labour party, the rulling party of Western Ukrainian People’s Republic, and heroes who died fighting for it

3/ Western Ukrainian People’s Republic — was a democratic socialist republic formed by actions of UA Liberational Committee and Ukrainian Sich Striltsy — and dominated by National Democratic party — which renamed itself to People’s Labour party, with strong labourist program

4/ Great attention and respect paid to Dmytro Vytovskyi, head of sich striltsy and organizer of socialist drahomanov societies all around Western Ukraine before the first world war. He was one of the founder of Sich Striltsy and then army of Newfound republic

5/ A monument to first Ukrainian president, who led National-democratic party to adoption of moderate socialist program, and led the country in its hardest time. Under his initiative, party changed its name to People’s Labour party

6/ The new platform proposed was supposed to "appropriate the lands of large estates [...], socialize industries capable that can be governed in such way, together with trade and credit". State must take provision of minimum existeniae (subsistence minimum) for every citizen.»

7/ Practically, it was one of the first tries of realization of ideas of universal basic income in the world — together with evolutionary socialist goals.

8/ They however weren’t class-populists: "We do not think of throwing demagogic slogans in favor of one social stratum, because a healthy state body is obliged to provide stability and protection for the labour and life of all social strata that make up the society."

9/ They governed in coalition with Socialist-Radicals and Social-Democratic parties, who were highly influential and to the left. When Poland occupied West Ukraine, these parties formed new movements for Ukrainian independence. This part unfortunately isnt presented much in Lviv

10/ People’s Labour party adopted national-democratic name again, and become more sovietophile, the Soviet orientation also become popular in Social-democratic circles because of Ukrainization and Soviet propaganda. The internal debates on relations with Soviet UA were crucial

11/ The biggest party in the region, and also the only consistent anti-soviet one was the most radical of them — Socialist-Radicals. They used as their symbol sickle and handshake — showing their adherence to peasants and democratic approach to socialist transformstion.

12/ Socialist studentry also was incredebly strong in that period. Unfortunately, the city also does a bad job to present a great tradition of Ukrainian student protests, that were led mostly by socialist radicals and labourists.

13/ In the end, in Lviv one can found monuments to Bandera and Shukhevych standing closely to Lesya Ukrainka, Ivan Franko, Hrushevskyi and Petrushevich. A city of controversies that tries to unite both very different and usually opposing traditions, downplaying their real views

14/ I also bought there a „mazepynka”. A head that was based on wishes of UA national-consciouss youth to have a symbol similar to polish „confederatka” — which was used by polish national struggle, and UA tried to find alternative — to be radical, but also they were jealous:)

15/ in 1916 on basis of these youth hats Ukrainian Sich Striltsy created a military version of such hat — based on cossack tradition and youth fashion. Both Left and Right then used it as a part of their uniquely Ukrainian uniform. See, here I bought one!

16/ Some time, there are a lot to find and, actually, a lot more to add in Lviv, if you look hard enough. Like other cities — Kyiv, Dnipro, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kryviy-Rih, Odesa, its full of fascinating history and struggles with its symbols being seen everywhere

17/ Decommunization played both positive and negative role. It empowered remembrance of our socialist figures, but also pave the way to glorification of some ethno-nationalists. Under the decommunization, unique monument to soldier of CP West UA that fought in Spain was destroyed

18/ So yeah, that something I noticed just by few days trying to look for such things, while meeting friends @steven_seegel, @UkraineSol, @PriamaDiia @SocRuch Lviv branch.

hat*