Re: Taras Shevchenko and Ilya Chavchavadze:Christian Visionaries
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Originally Posted by Katera
Oh! We have learnt something about him on college. As I can recollect he's somewhat like a national hero and a symbol of resistance... I forgot. Sorry... But, this is a great article! Thanks!
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Yes hes perhaps the most respected person in Ukrainian history. His poetry did much to awaken Ukrainian national consciousness in the 19th century at a time when it seem Ukrainians might just assmiliate with the Russians and remain 'Little Russians'. That was certainly what Nikolai Gogol wanted. Plus the Ukrainian language was degraded as simply a local peasents dialect that could never produce anything of value(especially when compared to Russian). Shevchenko proved all those assertions wrong! He showed that Ukrainians were a nation of their own(not just mere Little Russians) and showed that the Ukrainian language was capable of producing great literature.
Oddly enough this statue of him stands in Washington D.C.
It was supposedly comissioned by Ukrainian nationalists living in America and was unveiled by President Eisenhower. See we diaspora Ukrainians know how to get things done! 
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"Everything begins in mysticism and ends in politics."
--Charles Peguy
"Love for a man's own nation must not make a man into a wild animal, which tears down and provokes revenge; it must make him more noble, so that he can gain the respect and love of other nations for his nation. Therefore love toward your own nation is not contradictory to love for the whole of mankind; they complement each other. All of the nations are children of God."
--Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, 1938
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