Integration Fundamentals of National Idea in Ukraine

Abstract

The article is devoted to the relevance and prospects of forming the Ukrainian national idea as a tool for consolidation and integration of the Ukrainian nation and society. The problem of correlation of concepts of "consolidation" and "integration" is considered.  Consolidation can happen both with negative and positive colors, looking at what is consolidating around. At the same time, "integration" is a priori good. If consolidation can be accomplished by certain inorganic, unnatural means to the community based on situational factors, then integration is, in our view, always an organic evolutionary process.

Research focuses on the fact that the integration potential of a national idea depends on its substantive content and the nature of the subjects that form the latter. After all, one can interpret the national idea by referring to a set of traditional values: independence, catholicity, identity, patriotism, piety, irrationalism, individualism, anarchism, etc.; ideas of Ukraine's openness to the absorption of European liberal-democratic institutions, in the understanding of Ukraine as a border between East and West, etc. Accordingly, for the entity that shapes it - if a national idea is put forward by a progressive social force, then its progressive embodiment will be progressive. When regressive power carries it, the idea becomes destructive. The testimony is the transformation of the idea of national revival in Germany in the 1930s - to the idea of nationalism, racial superiority.

The state's task is to lead to a common denominator, reconcile group interests, seek compromise and sow harmony. And this role is unlikely to be matched by the existence of any state ideology, including nationalism. It should be emphasized that the affiliation of the national idea with nationalism has only been practically implemented on the domestic soil in practice. If we look at the national idea more broadly, from a scientific point of view, it should be noted that its formation marked all ideologies except the exceptionally internationalist leftists. Another thing is that they have a different meaningful embodiment. The national idea must be based on an "ethics of solidarity" and a constant dialogue between different communities in society. The basis of such dialogue is the preservation of the principle of cultural diversity; recognition of each ethnic culture as an important and necessary component of a nationwide culture; conducting large-scale national discussions on the most pressing problems of social development; developing and implementing interregional humanitarian programs to enhance the nation's communication potential; increasing the responsibility of ethnic communities for the fate of the country and the state.