Yakubets O. Political biography of V. V. Shcherbytskyi in the context of history of Ukraine (1918-1990)

The dissertation research is dedicated to the representative way of becoming the top echelon party-state nomenclature in the USSR and Ukraine SSR on the example of Volodymyr Shcherbytskyi - the first secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of Ukraine, member of Politburo of Central Committee of Communist Party of Soviet Union political biography. Basing on a large amount of sources (archives, collections of documents, memoirs, interviews) and scientific publications his life was described step-by-step (from birth to death, 1918-1990) in the context of the general history of Ukraine in 20th century. Particularly, V. Shcherbytskyi's childhood and youth of, life and historical circumstances that shaped his personality and character traits were analyzed. His participation in the Second World War is illustrated as well. The process of joining the party nomenclature is showed, individuals, who contributed to this (H. Pavlov, L. Brezhnev, A. Kyrylenko) are determined. The causal relationships and circumstances of his promotion on corporate ladder with affixment to the process of formation of the Soviet political clans (especially so called the Dnipropetrovsk Clan) and the power struggle in the Soviet Union in the latter half of the 20th century are analyzed. Gradual establishment of young politician in top places of the Soviet Union and Soviet Ukraine (in the late 1950s - beginning of the 1960s) is demonstrated as well as his fall (conflict with N. Khrushchev in 1963 and resigned as Chairman of the Council of Ministers the Ukraine SSR) and ascent (return to the office of the Ukrainian government in 1965). Also proved that his ascents were directly related to the person of L. Brezhnev, in who's team V. Shcherbytskyi occupied one of the leaders position and eventually became regarded as the main successor to the post of General Secretary of the CPSU. The methodology and tools of the struggle for power in the USSR is showed on the examples of V. Shcherbytsky's political and administrative lynching with his actual and potential competitors - P. Shelest, I. Lutak, V. Dehtiariov, V. Shevchenko. The detailed analysis of V. Shcherbytskyi's activities on position of the first secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party of Ukraine (1972-1989) with accenting on an ideological component and personnel policy is done. Proved his direct involvement in the negative phenomena of social life Ukraine in 1970s as Malanchukivschyna (ideological diktat in the fields of spirituality and culture, Russification, etc.) formation. Separate subsection is devoted to his behavioral mechanisms, traits of character and specific of his mutual relationships with inferiors, higher guidance and with the members of family. Found out reasons and objective laws that influenced on political longevity of this politician in the command management system conditions, therefore he is the only leader among the L. Brezhnev's team members in Soviet republics who retained his status under Gorbachev's perestroika (second half 1980s).