Newspapers of Ukrainian SSR of the 1950’s – 1960’s on the Ukrainian Re-Emigration (Trough the Prism of Biographical Studies)

Abstract

A peculiar phenomenon of post-war life in the Ukrainian SSR was the return of Ukrainian emigrants. Some of them were hoping to improve the economic situation, in particular, to obtain stable earnings and housing. The other part showed active pro-Soviet position. There were analyzed newspapers articles in the of the USSR 1950’s and 1960’s. This was the period of the most intensive movement of the return. The author analyzes the origin, age, social status, political preferences and activity of the re-emigrants from the point of view of the biographical component. It is established that it was residents of Western Ukrainian lands who left from Ukraine before the Second World War the most. Ukrainians went to Europe and America: France, the United States, Canada, but the largest number of them turned out to be in the countries of Latin America, in particular, in Argentina. These were mainly family people who leaved Motherland with their families and had a goal to acquire own land and engage in farming on it. However, the success in agriculture in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil in those who returned was insignificant due to the difficult working conditions in an unusual climate. Many people were forced to leave the land and work in cities at different jobs. Agricultural workers, workers in industry and services dominated among the re-emirates. Many participated in strikes, the trade union movement, cultural organizations that had contacts with the USSR. It was determined that they were mostly family people, had several children, lived together in the countries from which they returned, and in Ukraine. Bachelors were those who returned from Canada and the United States. Relatively few tried to settle there where they were from. These were elderly people. Most showed mobility and the ability to break with their usual way of life and moved to different regions of the Ukrainian SSR and the USSR, preferred life in cities. It is necessary to understand the specifics of the Soviet press, it was very ideologized, did not told about negatives of the process of re-emigration and all its features. However, thanks to her, we can get an idea about re-emigrant portrait: the majority of there had a pro-Soviet position, were an industrious part of society, preferred working professions and sought to get an education.

Keywords

• ukrainian emigration
• reemigrants
• biography
• collective portrait
• newspapers of the ukrainian ssr