Mykhailo Drahomanov. Half-length portrait in a dark suit. Made in Sofia (Bulgaria). From Ivan Franko's album. 1880s. Lviv National Literary and Memorial Museum of Ivan Franko. CC BY-NC-SA / Franko House
In Drahomanov, we—and Europe—saw for the first time a new type: a conscious European and an equally conscious Ukrainian.
Ivan Franko
Mykhailo Drahomanov was a Ukrainian public and political figure, publicist, founder of Ukrainian socialism, and an active member of the Ukrainian political emigration in 19th-century Europe.
He was born in 1841 in Poltava region into a family descended from the Cossack elite. His sister was the writer Olena Pchilka, mother of Lesia Ukrainka. He received his education at the Hadiach School, Poltava Gymnasium, and the Faculty of History and Philology of St. Volodymyr University, from which he graduated in 1863. He later taught at the same university, lecturing on Ancient History and Modern History. In the 1860s, he supported the creation of Ukrainian-language Sunday schools in Kyiv.
In 1863, he joined the Hromada organization, which advocated for cultural autonomy for Ukrainians and the expansion of their rights within the empire. His scholarly work was closely intertwined with journalism: in his writings on history, culture, and ethnography, he also addressed political issues. In the 1870s, he actively cooperated with Galician activists and traveled throughout Western Europe, familiarizing himself with European political thought.
Due to his political activity, he faced persecution and in 1875 left the country—first for Austria, then for Switzerland—becoming one of the first Ukrainian political émigrés. In Geneva (Switzerland), he published the “Hromada” almanac (1876–1880), where he wrote about Ukraine and other Slavic peoples, as well as helped disseminate new intellectual and political ideas among Ukrainians.
In 1889, he was invited to teach at Sofia University (Bulgaria), where he worked until his death later that year. He was buried at Sofia’s Central Cemetery.
Drahomanov left a substantial scholarly and journalistic legacy and had a major influence on the Ukrainian intellectuals and the left-wing national movements. His views combined ideas of European liberalism, democracy, and social justice with a commitment to the national development of Ukraine. He opposed autocracy and advocated for civil liberties, parliamentary governance, local self-government, and the crucial role of education and culture in social progress.
