Social and/or national revolution? Ukrainian communisms in the revolution and civil war

The article examines the main political and ideological rivals of the revolutionary period of 1917-1920 in Ukraine. It is argued that at the time parallel visions of Ukraine's sovereignty and political autonomy developed, which corresponded to two dominant political horizons: the pan-imperial attitudes of the Russian parties in Ukraine and the separatist orientation of Ukraine's nationally-oriented socialist organisations. The competition between these two political cultures led to the crystallisation of national communism, an ideological current, whose representatives continued to challenge the Bolsheviks throughout the civil war period. The definitive victory of the Bolshevik party in Ukraine in 1920 is explained by the fact that the Bolshevik leaders were able to embrace the popular nationalist discourse, articulated by diverse Ukraine-oriented left forces, and use this national factor to mobilise the population after the civil war was over.