Землеробська ментальність як домінанта українства

Abstract

The article details the issue of agricultural mentality of Ukrainians. Mentality is not a consistent way of thinking, it constantly changes under influence of various factors. A nation constantly improves one’s mentality through new perceptions, on the basis of which attitude towards the world is formed. Nation cannot develop if it only concentrates one’s efforts on one direction of its livelihood. It is exemplified by the fact that success of other nations is based on a varied economic activity. It is stated that specificity of Ukrainians lies in the fact that for a long time they were oriented towards development of agriculture as a basis of one’s functioning. This approach had objective reasons: objective – availability of vast lands, suitable for cultivation and subjective – efforts of oppressors to downgrade economic activity of Ukrainians only to agriculture and limit access to handcrafts and trade to slow down the development of our nation. It is established that it led to socio-economic lag of Ukrainians from other nations but also to an economic deformation. Formation of agricultural mentality and its transition to the main feature of Ukrainians was considered and analyzed. It is also indicated that for the purpose of social development it is required to extend Ukrainian mentality.