Decommunization of urban toponymy in Ukraine: causes and consequences

Abstract

The decommunization in Ukraine took place differently than in other post-communist countries. For many years after the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainian society tolerated the post-communist remnants. The conflict with Russia has fundamentally changed the narrative in relation to historical memory. Through the active toponymic policy of the central government in 2014–2016, it was possible to get rid of almost all communist symbols and names in public space. Nevertheless, a retreat in the matter of commemoration cannot be ruled out, as left-wing, and sometimes even pro-communist, views remain popular among a large part of the Ukrainian society.

Keywords

• decommunization
• urban toponymy
• historical memory
• toponymic politics
• ukraine