The authors actualize the issue of the historical past associated with the national policy formulated by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi and his government during the times of the Ukrainian revolution of 1917-1921. The article analyzes the challenges within the framework of state-building and legal support of the process establishing the national statehood in 1918. An emphasis is given to the contradictory nature with which the national policy was formulated by P. Skoropadskyi himself and his government which was subjected to frequent modifications. On the one part, he declared the statebuilding principles which were underlain by the idea of protection of state sovereignty and independence, by the Ukrainian traditions of historical achievements, but on the other part – being a product of the Russian imperial system, he gravitated to its culture and the spiritual world created by it. The authors highlight primarily the public, visible, real aspects, firstly, those of legal and factual nature testifying to the real picture of statebuilding where the national element undoubtedly prevailed. The article offers numerous examples of organizational and legal support of this process and its external attributes related to practical activities of the Hetman and his administration. Various areas of national and cultural state-building are analyzed, including the development of the judicial system, legislation, the establishment of international relations and etc. Particular attention is paid to the establishment of the judicial system, which became a logical continuation of its reforms initiated by the Ukrainian Central Rada. However, the course chosen by the predecessor did not find full support on the part of Skoropadskyi, he was rather an antagonist to that course. Thus, from the moment of the coup d’état (April 29, 1918) to the day of proclamation of the sinister Charter of the Federation with Russia and, accordingly, abdication of power, he persistently promoted the idea of organizing the judicial system on the bases of the former Russian Empire adding the national content to it. His greatest achievement was the introduction of the State Senate as the highest judicial body of the Ukrainian State. The authors purposefully focus on the main provisions of the Law on the State Senate dated July 8, 1918 pointing to the intentions of the Hetman to establish a fair trial in the country. The analyzed content of this Law is eloquent evidence thereof. The authors emphasize that during seven and a half months of the Hetman’s stay in power he managed to outline the main lines of his national policy and adopt a number of legislative acts, but he was unable to implement all of his ideas within such a short time span. Modern Ukraine has recognized the merits of Pavlo Skoropadskyi allocating him a worthy place in the Pantheon of Ukrainian national heroes.

List of legal documents 
 

Legislation 
1. Poiasniuvalna zapyska do zakonoproektu pro utvorennia Derzhavnoho Senatu [Explanatory Note to the Draft Law on the Establishment of the State Senate] (Tsentralnyi derzhavnyi arkhiv vyshchykh orhaniv vlady ta upravlinnia Ukrainy) f 2207, op 1, spr 1616, ark 33-34 (in Ukrainian). 
2. Pro hromadianstvo Ukrainskoi Derzhavy [On the Citizenship]: Zakon Ukrainskoi Derzhavy [Law of the Ukrainian State] vid 2 lypnia 1918 r. URL: http://www.hainyzhnyk. in.ua/doc2/1918(08)02.zakon.php (accessed: 26.05.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
3. Pro natsionalno-personalnu avtonomiiu [About national-personal autonomy]: Zakon Ukrainskoi Derzhavy [Law of the Ukrainian State] vid 22 sichnia 1918 r. URL: www. hai-nyzhnyk.in.ua/doc2/1918(01)22.zakon.avtonomiya.php (accessed: 26.05.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
4. Pro oboviazkove navchannia ukrainskoi movy i literatury, a takozh istorii ta heohrafii Ukrainy v serednikh shkolakh [On Сompulsory Education of Ukrainian Language and Literature, as well as History and Geography of Ukraine in Secondary Schools]: Zakon Ukrainskoi Derzhavy [Law of the Ukrainian State] vid 1 serpnia 1918 r. URL: https://history.vn.ua/book/xrestomatia/460.html (accessed: 26.05.2018) (in Ukrainian). 
5. Pro tymchasovyi derzhavnyi ustrii Ukrainy [About the temporary state system of Ukraine]: Zakon Ukrainskoi Derzhavy [Law of the Ukrainian State] vid 29 kvitnia 1918 r. (Tsentralnyi derzhavnyi arkhiv vyshchykh orhaniv vlady ta upravlinnia Ukrainy) f 1064, op 2, spr 1, ark 19 (in Ukrainian). 

Cases 
6. Rozporiadzhennia Ministra kultiv Ukrainskoi Derzhavy [Decree of the Minister of Cults of the Ukrainian State] vid 16 lypnia 1918 r. (Tsentralnyi derzhavnyi arkhiv vyshchykh orhaniv vlady ta upravlinnia Ukrainy) f 1071, op 1, spr 103, ark 19 (in Ukrainian). 
 

Bibliography 
 

Authored books 
7. Hrytsak Ya, Narys istorii Ukrainy. Formuvannia modernoi natsii ХІХ-ХХ stolittia [Essay on the History of Ukraine. Forming the Modern Nation of the XIX-XX Century] (Heneza 2000) (in Ukrainian). 
8. Mazepa I, Ukraina v ohni y buri revoliutsii (1917-1921) [Ukraine in the fire and the storm of revolution (1917-1921)] (Tempora 2003) (in Ukrainian). 
9. Mlynovetskyi R, Narysy z istorii ukrainskykh vyzvolnykh zmahan 1917-1922 rr. Pro shcho istoriia movchyt [Essays on the history of the Ukrainian liberation struggle of 1917-1922. About what the story is silent] (Kameniar 1966) (in Ukrainian). 
10. Pasichnyk M, Istoriia Ukrainy: rozvytok derzhavnosti ta kultury kultury [History of Ukraine: Development of State and Culture] (UAD 2016) (in Ukrainian). 
11. Pyrih R, Ukrainska hetmanska derzhava 1918 roku. Istorychni narysy [Ukrainian Hetman State of 1918. Historical Essays] (Instytut istorii Ukrainy 2011) (in Ukrainian). 
12. Vovk Yu, Orhanizatsiia, struktura ta kompetentsiia sudovykh orhaniv Ukrainskoi Derzhavy (1918 r.) [Organization, structure and competence of the judicial bodies of the Ukrainian state (1918)] (Svit 1999) (in Ukrainian). 
13. Vynnychenko V., Vidrodzhennia natsii (Istoriia ukrainskoi revoliutsii: marets 1917 r. – hruden 1919 r.) [The Revival of the Nation (History of the Ukrainian Revolution: Daisies of 1917 – December 1919)] t 3 Doba hetmanshchyny [The Day of Hetmanate] (Dzvin 1920) (in Ukrainian). 
14. Zakharchenko P, Istoriia derzhavy i prava Ukrainy: pidruchnyk [History of the State and Law of Ukraine: Textbook] (Atika 2005) (in Ukrainian). 
15. – – Selianska viina v Ukraini: rik 1918 [Peasant War in Ukraine: Year 1918] (Nihlava 1997) (in Ukrainian). 
16. Skoropadskyi P, Spohady. Kinets 1917 – hruden 1918 [Memories. End of 1917 – December 1918] (Filadelfiia 1995) (in Ukrainian).

Edited books

17. Hetman P. P. Skoropadskyi. Ukrayna na perelome. 1918 hod: sbornyk dokumentov [Getman P. P. Skoropadsky. Ukraine is on the turn. 1918: Collection of Documents] (Yvantsova O otv red y otv sost, Rosspen 2014) (in Russian). 

Encyclopedias 
18. Radianska entsyklopediia istorii Ukrainy [Soviet Encyclopedia of the History of Ukraine], 1 t (Vyshcha shkola 1969) (in Ukrainian). 

Journal articles 
19. Kalakura Ya, ‘Try obrazy Hetmanatu Pavla Skoropadskoho v ukrainskii istoriohrafii’ istoriohrafiyi’ [‘Three Images of the Hetmanate of Pavlo Skoropadsky in Ukrainian Historiography’] (2013) 7 Natsionalna ta istorychna pamiat 56 (in Ukrainian). 
20. Nesterenko V, ‘Natsionalna polityka Ukrainskoi Derzhavy’ [‘National Policy of the Ukrainian State’] (2012) 17 Visnyk KNLU. Seriia “Istoriia, ekonomika, filosofiia” 88 (in Ukrainian). 
21. Miroshnychenko M, ‘“Zakon pro natsionalno-personalnu avtonomiiu” Ukrainskoi Narodnoi Respubliky: istorychne znachennia dlia suchasnoi konstytutsiino-pravovoi praktyky Ukrainy’ [‘The Law on National and Personal Autonomy of the Ukrainian People’s Republic: Historical Importance for Contemporary Constitutional and Legal Practice of Ukraine’] (2017) 3 Pravo Ukrainy 40 (in Ukrainian). 
22. Orel Yu, ‘Ukrainizatsiia osvity u period vyzvolnykh zmahan 1917-1920 rokiv’ [‘The Ukrainianization of Education during the Period of the Liberation Movements of 1917-1920’] (2017) 3-4 Arkhivy Ukrainy 13 (in Ukrainian). 
23. ‘Z dumok hetmana Pavla Skoropadskoho’ [‘From the Views of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky’] (1947) 3 Holos Derzhavnyka І-ІІ (in Ukrainian). 
24. Zakharchenko P, ‘“Korotkyi zvit pro diialnist Ministerstva yustytsii vid 3 travnia po 27 lypnia 1918 r.” yak dzherelo do vyvchennia proektu reformuvannia sudovoi systemy v Ukrainskii Derzhavi’ [‘A Brief Report on the Activities of the Ministry of Justice from May 3 to July 27, 1918 as a Source for the Study of the Draft Reform of the Judicial System in the Ukrainian State’] (2013) 1-2 Malyi i serednii biznes (pravo, derzhava, ekonomika). Naukovo-praktychnyi zhurnal 14-15 (in Ukrainian). 

Dissertations 
25. Stepaniuk A, ‘Kasatsiine provadzhennia u Derzhavnomu Senati Ukrainskoi Derzhavy (1918 r.): zakonodavche zabezpechennia ta sudova praktyka’ [‘Cassation Proceedings in the State Senate of the Ukrainian State (1918): Legislative Support and Judicial Practice’] (dys kand yuryd nauk, Nats akad vnutr sprav 2015) (in Ukrainian).

Newspaper articles

26. (Derzhavnyi visnyk, 29 Serpen 1918) (in Ukrainian).