Vyacheslav Chornovil and the Issue of Sovereignty: from the Idea to the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine.

The article examines the dynamics and processes that unfolded during the Ukrainian national movement's struggle to liberate Ukraine from Soviet control. It delves into the personal dimensions of these historical events, emphasizing the contributions of individual figures to the movement. Prominent leaders of the Ukrainian revolution in the late 1980's and early 1990's championed and propagated ideas attuned to the societal demands and political realities of Ukraine under Soviet rule. One such pivotal idea was the concept of sovereignty. To comprehensively reconstruct the complex historical phenomenon of the Ukrainian revolution from the late 1980's to the early 1990's, it is vital to analyze how the notion of sovereignty was embraced and brought to the fore in Ukrainian public opinion during that period. Consequently, this article aims to investigate this matter, seeking to pinpoint who initially spearheaded the dissemination of the sovereignty idea, the objectives behind its promotion, and its reception in society. Existing historiographies covering the latter half of the 1980's to the early 1990's lack examinations that discern the process of popularizing the sovereignty concept within society. The research utilized a methodological toolkit encompassing various principles and methods, including historicism, objectivity, and pluralism, alongside historical-genetic, comparative-historical, and synchronous methods, and critical analysis of information and sources, among others. The findings reveal that Vyacheslav Chornovil, a significant figure in the national movement, pioneered the propagation of Ukraine's sovereignty notion in the late 1980's. He envisaged it as a tactical slogan for the inception phase of legal political activities, aimed at mobilizing sympathizers and elevating the society's national consciousness. It was determined that he transitioned from advocating sovereignty to promoting independence when the Ukrainian society was poised to embrace it. Furthermore, the study identifies Chornovil's subsequent efforts to incorporate the concept of Ukrainian sovereignty into the republic's legislative framework, a move to establish its political and legal entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]