« 2021. # 4 (160)

The Ethnology Notebooks. 2021. № 4 (160), 818—830

UDK[94:35.081.74:329.15](477.8)”1939/1941″

DOI https://doi.org/10.15407/nz2021.04.818

FORMATION AND FUNCTIONING OF THE REPRESENTATIVE POWER BRANCH IN THE UKRAINIAN SSR WESTERN REGIONS DURING THE FIRST STAGE OF SOVIETIZATION (1939—1941)

STASYUK Oleksandra

  • ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2957-0432
  • Candidate of Sciences,
  • senior researcher of the
  • Institute of Ukrainian Studies
  •  I. Krypiakevych NAS of Ukraine,
  • 4, Kozelnytska Street, 79026, Lviv, Ukraine,
  • Contacts: e-mail: ol_stasuk@ukr.net

Abstract. The problem urgency is related to the local self-government reform, which continues in modern Ukraine and requires thorough theoretical and methodological, philosophical, and historical-political support.

The study object is the Workers’ Deputies Soviets of Western Ukrainian regions in the system of Soviet society power relations.

The purpose of the article is to cover the role and local authorities’ significance in the Ukrainian SSR western regions during 1939—1941 on the historiographical basis and archival sources, to prove the imported nature of the process and its full control over party authorities, to show the local population’s mixed perception in general. Structural-chronological, historical-comparative, systemic, and interdisciplinary methods were used to fulfil the goals and work objectives, which ensured the study’s objectivity and thoroughness.

The author notes that as a result of the occupation in the western Ukrainian region, the democratic foundations of the society organization were destroyed and a rigid totalitarian-partocratic regime was established, which operated throughout the USSR. Subordinate to the party committees, the Soviets and their executive committees played a secondary role in the Soviet administrative structures system in the region, which levelled the democracy principle and hindered the Soviets proper influence on the western regions socio-economic development. As a result, socio-economic transformations in the region have been ambiguous and sometimes contradictory. In particular, the nationalization process of large-scale industry and landed and ecclesiastical lands, due to the specific instructions lack from local authorities or their neglect by those responsible, turned into the region looting and its inhabitants. Large-scale shifts in the economic sector due to Soviet economy «chronic diseases» (mismanagement, unbalanced planning, corruption, etc.) did not yield the expected results. And the cooperative institutions reorganization resulted in the destruction of small and medium-sized businesses, which immediately affected the region welfare and the population. The dominance of Soviet emissaries in the power region structures pointed to the Soviet regime occupation, created a alienation wall between the government and the local population, which openly or covertly sabotaged it.

Keywords: Ukrainian SSR, western region, Sovietization, a representative branch of power.

Received 10.08.2021

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