Memoirs of Ivanna Blazhkevych (1886–1977) as a source for studying her public activity during the First World War

The article analyzes the memoir inheritance of writer and teacher Ivanna Blazhkevich (1886–1977). The author aims to find out the main components of her public activity during the First World War. She wrote numerous autobiographical records that allow us to recreate the way of life and its cultural-educational, cooperative, and literary activities.The greatest information about the public activity of the teacher is presented by the diary "Woman on the battle line". The records cover 1914–1921 and is a valuable historical source of the period of the First World War and the subsequent national liberation struggles of Ukrainians in the territories of Galicia.Her public activity during the First World War was promoted on the basis of memoirs, autobiographies and diaries. It is noted that the teacher repeatedly helped orphans, former prisoners, wounded and sick military personnel. In very difficult conditions of war, she solves problems of food supply for peasants. As secretary of the "Village Owner" I. Blazhkevich personally asked for help to the inhabitants of the ruined villages.І. Blazhkevich tried to raise the socio-economic level of life of peasants and through the organization of special economic courses. Much attention was paid to I. Blazhkevych's contribution to the process of organizing rural cooperative institutions and the development of the Ukrainian cooperative movement. This direction of her public work deserves the attention of historians and ethnographers.The writer participated in various mass events (such as the celebration of Nicholas, a joint "holy" on Easter for schoolchildren), as well as in the organization of kindergarten and summer children's camp.The author stressed that, through her active public activities, I. Blazhkevich repeatedly suffered persecution on the part of the Polish authorities.