UKRAINIAN NATIONALISM IN ZAPORIZHZHIA AND STRUGGLE AGAINST IT BY THE SOVIET STATE SECURITY SERVICE DURING THE INTERWAR PERIOD

Abstract

The study is devoted to the problem of Ukrainian nationalism development, in a broad sense of its phenomenon, on the territory of Zaporizhzhia oblast after the establishment of the Soviet Bolshevik power in the region, as well as reactions to those processes by the Communist party and its repressive and punishing system.

The attempts to merge the Communist ideology and nationalism are observed in particular through the implementation by the Communist party of Ukrainian samostiinyks’ (independents) slogans of the Ukrainian revolution period. However, the utter futility of such experiments can firmly be observed through the activity of the “Prosvita” society. That light-version of Ukrainian nationalism, which primarily used to stand for language and education development, was criticised by either Russian segment of Communist party and modernisers of Ukrainian renaissance that were gathered around Mykola Khvyliovyi.

Apart, the author prioritises the analysis of forms and manifestation of anti-Soviet movement, especially in the rural area where citizens were the main nationalist supporters. The Soviet authority had an apprehension that united with urban intelligentsia peasants could have organised a new uprising for the independence of Ukraine. The concluding chord of Stalin’s war against Ukrainian village was Holodomor which had not only physical consequences but inflicted deep mental trauma on Ukrainians that affected the development of Ukrainian nationalism in Naddniprianshchina region (over the Dnipro river land).

Therefore, the research aims to broaden the apprehension of modern Zaporizhzhia oblast within the chronological frameworks of the 1920-30s as a region which used to have an utter independent character.