The complex research about the confrontation between Soviet government and the Ukrainian underground for the influence on the education of the western regions of the Ukrainian SSR in 1944–1953 was carried out in the dissertation.
The forced integration of this region into the system of «Stalinist socialism» that prevailed in the USSR after the liberation of the Western lands from Nazi invaders began. On the part of party and state bodies, special services increased control over the activities of institutions of primary, secondary specialized and higher education, according to the ideological orientation of the educational and teaching process, the «cleansing» of professorial and teaching staff from nationally-conscious specialists continued. These processes were opposed by the UPA and the underground of the OUN. The confrontation between the Soviet government and the national liberation movement was a significant factor in the socio-political, cultural and educational development of Western Ukraine.
It is noted in the dissertation that the post-war devastation, during which the restoration of the Soviet educational system took place, had a negative impact on the material and technical basis of educational institutions and the situation of pedagogical personnel. The greatest resources required the schools of the western regions of the Ukrainian SSR. It was possible in the short term to restore and expand the system of general, vocational and higher education schools, to provide the majority of the population with access to education, which is a positive moment thanks to the efforts of the authorities and the public.
The main opponent of the Soviet government in the field of education was the Ukrainian nationalist underground, which led the fight against the forcible imposition of the Communist ideology. Along with armed resistance, Ukrainian rebels carried out a massive ideological war with the Bolsheviks power. The important element of this confrontation was the organization of an active propaganda among the youth. Understanding the role of cultural and educational institutions in the upbringing and
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formation of personality, the rebels were fighting for influence on the intelligentsia. The underground used a wide range of means of influence on students and teachers, including forcible methods.
The situation in the Western Ukrainian region was heightened by the language issue, the displacement of the Ukrainian language from the public sphere, the spread of Russian language and culture. All the means at the time available for agitation and propaganda were used to convince the schoolchildren’s and students that socialism was the only correct way of political development, and that all who opposed it were enemies and traitors to the people. The existing system developed in the minds of the overwhelming majority of boys and girls the instinct of self-preservation, which was expressed in concealing their true views, thoughts and beliefs.
It is proved that a significant number of pupils and students spoke out against the Communist government and its policies, supported and promoted the idea of independence of Ukraine, which defended the OUN. The widespread phenomenon of postwar life has become as a single demonstration of disobedience, and the emergence of youth underground organizations and groups of nationalist nature. Soviet intelligence agencies until the end of the 1950s, identified Western-Ukrainian youths who supported the nationalist ideology and committed anti-Soviet actions. Propaganda, ideological and educational work of Ukrainian rebels, along with the armed struggle contributed to the preservation and development of national-statist ideas in the Ukrainian society.
The postwar confrontation between the Soviet government and the Ukrainian nationalist underground in the ideological and educational field demonstrates the importance of educational space in the functioning of society. Ukrainian rebels and the Bolsheviks tried to keep education under control, knowing that this sphere is forming the personality and outlook of pupils and students. The importance of the youth environment was conditioned by the fact that the formation of national consciousness of future generations depended on its ideological beliefs.
Keywords: educational space, educational process, youth, ideology, Soviet government, OUN, nationalism, propaganda, western regions of the Ukrainian SSR, postwar period.
