Page 179 - 6421

Charles XII. The Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk consisted of a preamble
and 16 articles.
In 1743 a codified collection of Ukrainian law was issued,
entitled "The rights, which is suing Malorussian people". It consisted

of a preface, 30 chapters, 531 articles and 1716 paragraphs.
Next attempts to restore the Ukrainian statehood were made only
in the XX century, after the collapse of the Russian autocracy. In

March 1917 the Ukrainian Central Rada was established, and the
General Secretariat was set up as the supreme governing body in
Ukraine. The Central Rada adopted four universals, which initiated
the legal consolidation of Ukraine's state independence:

- the First Universal was issued on June 10 (23), 1917. He urged
Ukrainians to participate actively in state-building;
- the Second Universal was issued on July 3 (16), 1917. In

accordance with this document, in particular, the Central Council
allocated its executive body – the General Secretariat;
- the Third Universal was adopted on November 7 (20), 1917. It

proclaimed the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR);
- the Fourth Universal was dated 9 (22) January 1918. It declared
the full independence of the UPR. The General Secretariat was

reformed into the Council of People's Ministers. The peace with the
states of the German bloc and the struggle with the Bolsheviks were
proclaimed.
On April 29, 1918, the last day of its existence, the Central Rada

proclaimed the Constitution of the UPR.
The Central Rada had no support from the population, and by
calling for the Austro-German invaders in Ukraine, it finally lost its

influence. Under these circumstances, with the support of the German
troops, Hetman P. Skoropadskyi came to power. The UPR was
renamed the Ukrainian state, the reforms of the UPR were cancelled.
The Deeds to all Ukrainians and the Laws on the Temporary State

System of Ukraine were the important law sources of that period. All
power in the state belonged to the Hetman before the election of the
seym.

After the withdrawal of the German troops, the Hetman's regime
fell under the pressure of both the Soviet Army and the troops of the
Directory. The Directory, created from representatives of socialist

parties, took power in Kyiv in December 1918. The Directory

179