The article examines the problem of archival development during the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1920. The role of the Library and Archival Department at the Department of Arts of the General Secretariat for Educational Affairs headed by the famous historian O. Hrushevskyi, the State Military Historical Archive under the leadership of J. Zhdanovych is analyzed. The activities of the government of Hetman P. Skoropadskyi, which consisted in the implementation of the project of archival reform initiated by the Archives and Library Department under the leadership of historian and archivist V. Modzalevskyi. The reform proclaimed state ownership of archival documents and the establishment of the Central Institution of the Archival System – the National Archives of the Ukrainian State, which would store national documents. It was planned to create provincial archives to store the documents of provincial institutions. The article reveals the contribution of famous archival figures O. Hrushevskyi, V. Modzalevskyi in the development of the Ukrainian state, preservation of its cultural values. The formation of Hetman P. Skoropadskyi as an archivist, his desire to preserve not only the archives of the Skoropadskyi family fund, but also office records of military units, because the hetman was well aware of the importance of archival documents for the history of the state and self-determination of its citizens. The government kept the Directory in the field of archival institutions. To preserve archival materials, the Poltava Committee for the Protection of Monuments of Antiquity, Art and Nature has issued more than 100 «protection letters» related to the preservation of museum collections and support for literary and artistic figures. Despite the difficult conditions in which archival affairs developed during the Ukrainian Revolution (1917-1920), significant progress was made in preserving archival documents as an important source for studying the history of the Ukrainian state. A significant contribution to archival construction was made by well-known archival figures of the Ukrainian Revolution (1017-1920): V.L. Modzalevskyi, P.P. Skoropadskyi, O.S. Hrushevsky., V.V. Miyakovsky., O.I. Baranovych, L.Yu. Bykovsky., P.V. Klymenko and others

archival business, Ukrainian revolution, Directory, Central Rada, Hetmanate, V. Modzalevskyi, O. Hrushevskyi, cultural values