"Елисаветград – центральное место деятельности известного насадителя артелей": з історії діяльності "артільного батька" Миколи Левитського (1905-1918 рр.)

Abstract

Стаття розкриває діяльність всесвітньо відомого українського кооперативного і громадського діяча, т.зв. «артільного батька» Миколи Васильовича Левитського в період, який раніше не був предметом уваги наукової літератури: 1905-1918 роки. У цей час М. Левитський мешкав у місті Єлисаветграді і активно продовжував займатися роботою у сфері кооперативного руху.

The article reveals the activities of the world-famous Ukrainian cooperative and public figure, the so-called «artillery father» Nikolai Vasilyevich Levitsky during the period of 1905-1918, who had not been earlier as the subject of scientific literature. At this time Levitsky lived in the city of Yelisavetgrad and actively continued to work in the field of cooperative movement. He provided advisory assistance to cooperatives and was an active participant in a variety of cooperative and economic forums that determined the direction of the development of national economic life. There were created exemplary industrial cooperatives in Yelisavetgrad - booth and other artels, which served as an example for the development of industrial cooperation. During this period, Levitsky initiated the creation of all- Ukrainian cooperative centers, in particular the Southern Cooperative Bank. On behalf of the cooperative public, «artillery father» represented the interests of the founders of this bank, as well as another national center of cooperation - the Dnipro Union of Consumer Societies - before the government of the Russian Empire. Thanks to the active work of Levitsky, Yelisavetgrad acted as an informal organizational and methodological center of the cooperative movement. The ideas of cooperative advancement came out from this place, somebody came here for help in cooperative affairs, the most authoritative co-operative figure of his era worked here. In 1918, in Kiev, took place the solemn celebration of the 40th anniversary of Mykola Levitsky`s cooperative and social activity. The subsequent period in the activities of Levitsky is also associated with Yelisavetgrad and a topic that in the future deserves a special study.