The influence of the ideology of the Enlightenment on the political and legal culture of the national elite of the Ukrainian Cossack state (second half of the XVII-XVIII-th century) and its significance for Ukrainian state-building processes
Journal: Analytical and Comparative Jurisprudence
Year: 2025

The period known as the Enlightenment, which spanned the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, had a significant impact on the political culture of the Cossack officers (starshyna) in Ukraine. This era was characterised by the dissemination of ideas of rationalism, secularisation, and social progress, which found expression in the worldview and activities of the Ukrainian elite. The authors observes that starshyna, as an educated stratum of society, actively perceived new philosophical and polit