The Peasant Question in Policy of RCP(b) – CP(b)U in 1918 – 1923: Sources of Totalitarianism.

The article analyses attitude of Bolshevik congresses of RCP(b) and CP(b)U to agricultural question in 1918 – 1923. It marks out the main features of Bolshevik policy as for peasantry that caused forming of totalitarian regime: ignoring of the entire social class interests, absence of scientific explanation and party discussion of the ways as for solving agricultural question, declarative character of Bolshevik policy especially in Ukraine. RCP(b) did not develop their own program of solving peasant question when rising to power in 1917. RCP(b) could determine its position only at the beginning of 1919 and in 1923. Ukrainian Bolsheviks stayed between the necessity to implement principles of proletarian internationalism and the reaction of merely Ukrainian environment to it. The peculiarity of CP(b)U activity was in earlier appeal to peasant question in 1918, but Ukrainian Bolsheviks underestimated the potential of peasants movement. Alexander Shumskyi, Yakov Yakovlev, Volodymir Zatonskyi and Andrey Bubnov supported Ukrainian peculiarities in agricultural question.

Динамика численности этнических украинцев в УССР: на основе итогов Всесоюзных переписей населения 1959 г., 1970 г. и 1979 г.

В статье исследованы Всесоюзные переписи населения 1959 г., 1970 г., 1979 г. как основной источник для комплексного изучения динамики численности и территориального размещения украинцев в разных регионах УССР в течение 1960-х – 1970-х гг.; охарактеризовано национальную политику советской власти, которая руководствовалась приоритетом государственного общенационального единства всего «советского народа» и презирала ценность этнической нации. Выяснено, что Украина была одним из центров аккумулирования эмиграционных потоков в Советском Союзе, из-за чего многонациональное общество УССР, основу которого составляли украинцы, постепенно превращалось в двунациональное, где украинское большинство сосуществовало рядом с непрерывно растущим русским меньшинством. Такие переселения проводились прежде всего по политическим соображениям и были направлены на то, чтобы коренной народ терял свои национальные особенности – язык, культуру и тому подобное.

Państwo sowieckie w apogeum stalinizmu było w pełni rozwiniętym państwem totalitarnym. Marzenie o nowym człowieku, stanowiące istotę reżimu totalitarnego, zmieniło się w koszmar. Ten, kto znajdował się w orbicie Józefa Stalina, nie miał wyjścia: stawał się albo ofiarą, albo sprawcą. Jego władza absolutna wyrosła z bezgranicznych rozmiarów terroru. Przemoc stalinowska była możliwa tylko dlatego, że Stalin i jego otoczenie traktowali ją jako oczywiste narzędzie służące umocnieniu władzy i przekonanie to pochodziło nie z tekstów europejskiego marksizmu, ale z doświadczenia i mentalnego ukształtowania sprawców. Stalin używał przemocy, kalkulując na zimno swoje posunięcia, gdyż grę ze śmiercią uważał za element mechanizmu władzy. Jednocześnie Stalin był mordercą, któremu zabijanie i zadawanie bólu sprawiało radość i który wykorzystywał argumenty ideologiczne, zapisane w kanonicznych tekstach teoretyków marksizmu, do tego, by móc na zewnątrz uzasadnić swoje przestępcze decyzje.

The article analyzes the ethno-demographic policy of the CPSU – CPU of the 60’s – 70’s of the twentieth century, which was guided by the priority of national unity of the entire Soviet people and neglected the value of the Ukrainian ethnic group and its national development. The state command-administrative system under the slogans of “proletarian internationalism”, “prosperity and rapprochement of nations in the USSR”, “formation of a new historical community – the Soviet people” pursued a policy of assimilation of the titular nation of the Ukrainian SSR. Demographic, economic and social processes that took place in the society of that time, especially decreased in some regions of the republic the number of indigenous peoples. The correlation of macro-processes (intra-republican and inter-republican migration) with internal micro-processes in Ukraine (enhanced russification, interethnic marriages, etc.) promoted assimilation, depopulation of Ukrainians and threatened their national future. The paper finds that in the conflict of unfavorable circumstances resulting from the Soviet assimilation policy, the number of the Ukrainian nation in the USSR slowed down, difficult, but did not grow in both quantitative and qualitative terms.

Formation and deployment of the movement of the Sixtiers and the Soviet policy of ideologizing, russification of the cultural and educational space of Ukrainians: the late 1950s–1960s

This article examines the Soviet policy of ideologization and, russification of the cultural and educational space of the Ukrainian nation in the late 1950s – 1960s and characterizes the formation and development of the movement of the Sixtiers. Despite the comprehensive control of the Soviet totalitarian state over human thinking, the young creative Ukrainian activist continued to be a living intellectual force that was able to adequately analyze socio-political processes in Ukraine and sought radical change in society at that time. This period was marked by the emergence of the Sixtiers – a new generation of Ukrainian national intelligentsia, who defended the national language, education and culture, freedom of artistic creativity. Despite the difficult socio-political circumstances of the time, a significant cultural progress took place in the creative life of the Ukrainian SSR, saturated with a diverse range of views, ideas and aspirations. In Ukraine, there was an irreversible process of national self-determination of Ukrainians through the cultural and educational space. Nonconformist sentiments in Ukrainian environment began a gradual transition to new democratic norms and standards in the life of the Ukrainian nation.

The paper presents the interruptions to the biographical trajectories of six women persecuted in different periods during the communist regime in Bulgaria in order to outline the common features as well the specificity of their cases: two former leading feminists: Julia Malinova ( Julia Jakovlevna Schneider – President of the Bulgarian Women’s Union until 1926, Dimitrana Ivanova, President 1926–1944), two members of the Oppositional (Nikola Petkov’s) Bulgarian Agrarian Party (Rayna Lapardova and Tsvetana Tsacheva), two scientists from the Turkish minority in Bulgaria Mefkure Mollova and Hayriye Memova). The paper presents the documentation on these women and their political and academic activities, and the deficits of information, as well as the radical interruptions to their lifestyles, careers, family life, and social ties, and social integration of these women. The research is based on documents from personal finds, the women’s publications, documents from the secret archives of the State Security, memories, and personal testimonies.

The party ideologues of the Soviet totalitarian state artificially developed and actively introduced into the life of the titular nation of the Ukrainian SSR a new Soviet ritualism, the main goal of which was to raise from every Ukrainian a Russified citizen of the Soviet type without national identity and religious beliefs, with a Russian consciousness, mentality and language. The article proves that the ancient church and religious traditions and customs of the Ukrainian people continued to be a part of the everyday culture of Ukrainians. The religious activity of representatives of the Ukrainian ethnic group was especially observed during the celebration of Christmas, Epiphany, Easter and other church holidays. And although the number of adherents of religious rites in the republic was different – from less in the East to more in the West, Christian values, despite atheism, continued to be the basis of the spiritual life of the absolute majority of Ukrainians.