Kostomarov set new terms for the debate on nationality, shifting attention to the popular masses, whom he regarded as the main object of historical study. “No law, no institution will be important to us in themselves, but only their application to the people’s lives,” argued Kostomarov. “Features unimportant to the historian who puts the life of the state first will be a matter of the first importance to us.” The debate was clearly entering a new stage.
