The purpose of the article is to highlight the origins, stages of establishment and development of Ukrainian statehood. The author notes that statehood is the result of material and spiritual development of an entire nation. It is established that statehood has a much wider content than the concept of “the State”. Statehood culminates into creation of the State as the high point of development of the Ukrainian nation. Statehood is like a foundation and roots of the State, and the latter, for its part, is one of the constituents – in a certain sense, the crown of statehood. Signs of statehood: 1) realization of the nation’s right to political self-determination, State independence, this being the first step towards creating own State; 2) availability of public authorities which act in two forms: a) state power including head of the State; bodies of legislative, executive and judicial power; law enforcement agencies (police, State security agencies, public prosecution, armed forces, etc.); b) municipal power which comprises representative and executive authorities, local self-government bodies; 3) State sovereignty which means the supremacy of the State in its territory and independence in international relations; 4) the system of legal provisions (primary and secondary legislation) which regulate relevant social relations; 5) international recognition of the State and, as a result, its international legal identification; 6) state symbols are official signs (images, items) or sound expressions which are enshrined in legislation and symbolize the sovereignty of the State.

For the Ukrainian nation, national statehood has been established in a quite difficult manner and during a long time. Ukrainian statehood was created by the Ukrainian nation as a specific historical form of Ukrainian sociality which is united by single language, territory, history, culture, religion, law, deep economic ties, certain cultural and character features. The Ukrainian nation has been living in the territory of modern Ukraine for many centuries; more than 1,000 years ago, it began creating its statehood under extremely tough conditions, in particular because it did not have borders protected by nature but had aggressive close and distant neighbors. The history of Ukrainian statehood is actually the history of the national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people for their State. This struggle was aimed at liberating the Ukrainian people from foreign domination and gaining national State independence.

                                                     Bibliography

Authored books

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2. Kulchytskyi V ta Tyshchyk B ta Boiko B, Halytsko Volynska derzhava (1199–1349) [The State of Galicia-Volhynia (1199–1349)] (Biblos 2006) (in Ukrainian).

3. Mirchuk P, Akt vidnovlennia Ukrainskoi Derzhavnosty 30 chervnia 1941 roku (ioho heneza ta politychne y istorychne znachennia) [The Act Restoring Ukrainian Statehood of June 30, 1941 (Its Genesis, Political and Historical Significance)] (1953) (in Ukrainian).

4. Myronenko O, Svitoch ukrainskoi derzhavnosti. Polityko-pravovyi analiz diialnosti Tsentralnoi Rady [The Light of Ukrainian Statehood. Political and Legal Analysis of the Central Rada’s Activities] (1995) (in Ukrainian).

5. Pavliuk S, Etnoheneza ukraintsiv: Sproba teoretychnoi konstruktsii [Etnogenesis of the Ukrainians: An Attempt at Theoretical Construction] (In-t narodoznavstva 2006) (in Ukrainian).

6. Rabinovych P, Osnovy zahalnoi teorii prava ta derzhavy: navchalnyi posibnyk [Fundamentals of the General Theory of Law and State: Study Guide] (LILEIa 2002) (in Ukrainian).

7. Smolii V ta Stepankov V, Ukrainska natsionalna revoliutsiia XVII st. (1648–1676 rr.) [Ukrainian National Revolution of XVII Century (1648–1676)] (Kyievo-Mohylianska akademiia 2009) (in Ukrainian).

8. Subtelnyi O, Ukraina: istoriia [Ukraine: History] (Lybid 1991) (in Ukrainian).

9. Tyshchyk B ta Boiko I, Istoriia derzhavy i prava Ukrainy: akademichnyi kurs: pidruchnyk [History of State and Law of Ukraine: Academic Course: Textbook] (In Yure 2015) (in Ukrainian).

10. Tyshchyk B, Zakhidno Ukrainska Narodna Respublika (1918–1923). Istoriia derzhavy i prava [West Ukrainian People’s Republic (1918–1923). History of State and Law] (Triada plius 2001) (in Ukrainian). 11. Vynnychenko V, Zapovit bortsiam za vyzvolennia [A Testament to Liberation Fighters] <https://www.ukrlib.com.ua/books/printit.php?tid=2930> (accessed: 02.12.2019) (in Ukrai nian).

Edited books

12. Hrushevskyi M, Istoriia Ukrainy-Rusy [History of Ukraine-Rus’], t 1 (Sokhan P holova redkol, Naukova dumka 1994) (in Ukrainian).

13. Kryp’iakevych I, Halytsko-Volynske kniazivstvo [Galicia-Volhynia Principality] (Isaievych Ya vidp red, Instytut ukrainoznavstva im I P Kryp’iakevycha NAN Ukrainy 1999) (in Ukrainian).

14. Narysy istorii ukrainskoi revoliutsii 1917–1921 rokiv [Essays on the History of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921], kn 1 (Smolii V holova redkol, Naukova dumka 2011) (in Ukrainian).

15. Stashys V, ‘Mudryi Yaroslav Volodymyrovych’ [‘Yaroslav Volodymyrovych the Wise’] v Derzhavni politychni ta hromadski diiachi Ukrainy: politychni portrety: navchalnyi posibnyk dlia studentiv vyshch navchalnykh zakladiv [State Political and Public Figures of Ukraine: Political Portraits. Study Guide for Students of Higher Education Institutions] (Panov M zah red, In Yure 2002) (in Ukrainian).

16. Ukrainske derzhavotvorennia. Akt 30 chervnia 1941. Zbirnyk dokumentiv i materialiv [Ukrainian State-Building. Act of June 30, 1941. Collected Documents and Materials] (Dashkevych Ya ta Kuk V zah red, Piramida 2001) (in Ukrainian).

Encyclopaedias

17. Chekhovych V, ‘Karpatska Ukraina’ [‘Carpathian Ukraine’] v Politychna entsyklopediia [Political Encyclopedia] (Levenets Yu holova redkol, Parlamentske vydavnytstvo 2011) (in Ukrainian).

18. Pavliuk S, ‘Etnohenez’ [‘Ethnogenesis’] v Mala entsyklopediia ukrainskoho narodoznavstva [Small Encyclopedia of Ukrainian Folk Studies] (Pavliuk S red, In-t narodoznavstva NAN 2007) (in Ukrainian). 19. Pravda Ruska Yaroslava Mudroho: pochatok zakonodavstva Kyivskoi Rusi: navchalnyi posibnyk [Yaroslav the Wise’s Rus’ Truth: The Beginnings of Kievan Rus’ Legislation: Study Guide] (Demydenko H ta Yermolaiev V uklad, Pravo 2014) (in Ukrainian).

20. Shemshuchenko Yu, ‘Derzhavnist’ [‘Statehood’] v Yurydychna entsyklopediia [Encyclopedia of Law], t 2: D–I (Shemshuchenko Yu holova redkol, Ukr Entsykl 1999) (in Ukrainian).

21. Vehesh M, ‘Karpatska Ukraina’ [‘Carpathian Ukraine’] v Entsyklopediia istorii Ukrainy [Encyclopedia of Ukrainian History], t 4: Ka–Kom (Smolii V holova redkol, Naukova dumka 2007) (in Ukrainian).

Journal articles

22. Hai-Nyzhnyk P, ‘Ukrainska Derzhava: istorychna dokonanist i rozviiana paralelna diisnist (Akt 30 chervnia ta revoliutsiine derzhavotvorennia pid provodom OUN(r) u 1941–1942 rr. yak vyiav natsionalnoho chynu ta symvol suverennykh prahnen ukrainskoho narodu)’ [‘The Ukrainian State: Historical Completeness and Dispelled Parallel Reality (Act of June 30 and Revolutionary State-Building under the Leadership of OUN (R) in 1941–1942 as a Manifestation of the National Status and a Symbol of Sovereign Aspirations of the Ukrainian People)’] [2015] 98(7) Hileia: naukovyi visnyk 49-65 (in Ukrainian).

23. Kubiv S, ‘Stolittia svobody y nezlamnosti’ [‘The Centennium of Freedom and Invincibility’] (2017) 3 Pravo Ukrainy 9 (in Ukrainian).

24. Smolii V, ‘Ukrainska kozatska derzhava’ [‘The Ukrainian Cossack State’] (1991) 4 Ukrainskyi istorychnyi zhurnal 5-19 (in Ukrainian).

Newspaper articles

25. Hai-Nyzhnyk P, ‘“Samostiina” USRR: khronolohiia vynyknennia marionetkovoi psevdoderzhavy ta yii “dobrovilnoho” vstupu do SRSR’ [‘”Independent” Ukrainian SSR: Chronology of Emergence of a Puppet Pseudo-State and Its “Voluntary” Accession to the USSR’] (Ukraina Incognita, 18.02.2013) <http://incognita.day.kiev.ua/xronologiyaviniknennyamarionetkovoyi-psevdoderzhavi.html> (accessed: 02.12.2019) (in Ukrainian).

26. Shchodra O, ‘Svidchennia Bertynskoi khroniky pro posolstvo rusiv 838–839 rokiv do Vizantiiskoi imperii ta imperii frankiv – vazhlyva vikha pochatkiv formuvannia ta mizhnarodnoho vyznannia Kyivskoi derzhavy’ [‘Annales Bertiniani Testimony about the Rus’ Embassy in 838–839 to the Byzantine Empire and the Empire of the Franks – an Important Milestone of the Early Establishment and International Recognition of the Kievan State’] Holos Ukrainy (23 liutoho 2019) 4 (in Ukrainian).

 Conference papers

 27. Boiko I, ‘Halytsko-Volynska derzhava – spadkoiemnytsia i nastupnytsia kniazhoi Ukrainy-Rusy (do 820-richchia utvorennia)’ [‘The State of Galicia-Volhynia – the Heir and Successor of the Princely Ukraine-Rus’ (to the 820th Anniversary of Establishment)’] v Problemy derzhavotvorennia i zakhystu pravi liudyny v Ukraini: materialy XXIV zvitnoi naukovo-praktychnoi konferentsii (7–8 liutoho 2019 r.) [Issues of State-Building and Human Rights Protection in Ukraine: Materials of the XXIV Reporting Scientific and Practical Conference (February 7–8, 2019)], ch 1 (Iurydychnyi fakultet Lvivskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Ivana Franka 2018) 33-9 (in Ukrainian).

28. Pavliuk S, ‘Pro pokhodzhennia ukrainskoho narodu’ [‘On the Origin of the Ukrainian People’] v Materialy konferentsii “Narod, natsiia, derzhava: ukrainske pytannia u yevropeiskomu vymiri” [Materials of the Conference “The People, the Nation, the State: Ukraine’s Issue in the European Dimension”] (Naukovyi visnyk Ukrainskoho Vilnoho Universytetu Lviv 1993, 1995) 21 (in Ukrainian).