Abstract
The article analyzes the role of Pavlo Skoropadskyi's government in 1918 in the strategic and artistic issue of the development of art, as part of the state-building process in the Ukrainian State of that time, based on archival sources and the scientific work of modern scientists. The research methodology is based on the fundamental principles of historical research: historicism, systematicity, scientificity, objectivity in the selection of facts and documents. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that, for the first time, with the help of archival sources, specific steps in the activities of the Cabinet of Ministers in 1918 regarding the support and development of art, namely theater and cinematography, as one of the components of culture, were revealed, thanks to both financial support and the awareness of representatives of the government of Pavlo Skoropadsky of the national-patriotic orientation regarding the importance of the development of national art as part of the state-building process. Conclusions. In the conditions of the exhausting First World War and the economic devastation in the state, the government of Pavlo Skoropadskyi attached great importance to the development of art, in particular theater and cinematography. The government considered the sphere of theater not only as an important form of cultural expression, but also as one of the directions of state-building in the development of the national interests of the Ukrainian State, in order to ensure the spread of the Ukrainian language and culture among the population of that time. Cinematography in 1918 was at an early stage of development. However, even then the government understood its potential and recognized the importance of cinema not only as an innovative invention, but as a means of mass information and state propaganda to influence the population. At the state level, mechanisms were developed to support the cinematographic industry and the Ukrainian theater of that time, which were constantly financed by Pavlo Skoropadskyi's Council of Ministers, as evidenced by archival documents. The Cabinet of Ministers of that time was well aware that in order to build a full-fledged state, support in the field of national culture is necessary, and that this is one of the elements of the socio-cultural values of a person, which contributes to the formation of the unity of the nation and lays the foundation of an educated and tolerant society in the future.