UKRAINE IN U.S. PUBLIC AND POLITICAL THOUGHT DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

DOI 10.17721/2521-1706.2026.21.7

Taras Piatnychuk

Ph. D. (History), Major Research Fellow, Chernivtsi Museum of Local Lore, Chernivtsi, Ukraine
 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5285-2067
 

Abstract. The article analyzes the representation of Ukraine as a geographic and political space in the American press during the First World War. It examines the position of the political establishment regarding the resolution of the “Ukrainian question”. Particular attention is given to the activities of the Inquiry group, which prepared policy recommendations for President Woodrow Wilson’s administration to shape U.S. foreign policy at the end of the war.

The aim of the article is to analyze the evolution of perceptions of Ukraine and the issue of Ukrainian statehood in U.S. public and political discourse during 1914–1918.

The research methodology is based on the principles of systematization, objectivity, and historicism. To examine the origins and formation of perceptions of Ukraine in the United States, the historical-genetic method was employed. A systematic analysis of the events of 1914–1918 was facilitated by the problem-chronological approach. In reviewing and comparing materials from various periodicals, as well as the positions of political figures, the comparative-historical method was used. The study also applied content analysis of the press, maps, and political cartoons, which made it possible to trace and assess the representation of Ukraine and the Ukrainian question.

The novelty of the study lies in its comprehensive and systematic analysis of the evolution of Ukraine’s image in the American public sphere during the First World War, as shaped by U.S. periodicals. The activities of the Inquiry group are examined, and its recommendations to Woodrow Wilson’s administration regarding the resolution of the Ukrainian question at the Paris Peace Conference are analyzed.

The author concludes that, despite recognition of the distinctiveness of the Ukrainian people, in the American public and political sphere Ukraine was mostly perceived as part of the former Russian Empire, and its statehood was seen as derivative of German policy. Limited understanding of the “Ukrainian question”, the position of President Woodrow Wilson’s administration, and the lack of consistent support from the United States were factors that contributed to the failure of Ukrainian state-building after the Great War (1914–1918).

Key words: First World War, United States, international politics, Ukrainian question, press, American-Ukrainian relations.

Submitted: 29.01.2026

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