PARLIAMENTARY ACTIVITY OF VASYL KOVALSKYI (1873–1891)

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the activity of the famous Galician politician V. Kovalskyi in the Austrian Parliament. Using the methods of historical research (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, problem-his­to­rical, comparative, statistical) the author assessed the main speeches of the deputy at the meetings of the House of Ambassadors of the Vienna Reichsrat. Petitions, interpellations and speeches submitted by V. Kovalskyi was counted and compared with other deputies of the parliament: Ivan Ozarkevych, Eduard Hersbst, Franz Сoronini and Evzebius Cherkaskyi. It was determined that the politician lobbied for the interests of the Ukrainian school system, promoted the modernization of legislation in the field of judiciary and decided on financial dotation to the Greek-Catholic Church. V. Kovalskyi’s relations with other deputies (Eduard Herbst and Franz Coronini) and the main directions of his activity was revealed. Particular attention is paid to election campaigns in consti­tuencies where the politician ran as a candidate and thanks to which he got into parliament. V. Kovalskyi’s participation in the elections to the House of Ambassadors in the Galician Sejm was highlighted. The main source for writing the article was the minutes of the sittings of the Parliament and the Galician Sejm, which reveal the election of V. Kovalskyi to the House of Ambassadors and the fu ll content of all speeches. In turn, periodicals, works and memoirs of contemporaries reveal the course and results of election campaigns.

Keywords: V. Kovalskyi, House of Deputies (Ambassadors), parliament, election, Galician Sejm, interpellation, petition.