Shmaliukh A. «Former people» in the social and class structure of the Soviet society in the 1920s – 1930s.

The thesis presents a comprehensive study of the Soviet authorities’ discriminatory policy against the privileged strata of the pre-revolutionary society in the Soviet Union and, in particular, in Ukraine in the 1920s – 1930s. The research was supported by the analysis of a wide source base and the description of the historiographical situation. The paper deals with the political and legal basis of the Soviet authorities’ discriminatory policy against former members of privileged strata and presents different stages of such policy’s implementation. An attempt has been made to reconstruct the structure of social relations during the studied period and to display the «former people» in their relation to other social groups. The semantics of the term «former people» has been shown and its essence in official and unofficial discourses has been explored. The author’s attention is drawn to the fact that in everyday life the term «former people» had its own specificity both for the authorities and for the representatives of the social «outcasts». The reasons for loyal and compromise attitude of Soviet party and some state bodies to certain categories of «former people» in the period of new economic policy have been investigated. The discrimination of the «former people’s» children by the Soviet authorities and the peculiarities of their integration into new society have been highlighted. The author concludes that discrimination of «former people» on the basis of social origin was systematic, well-thought-out, structured and targeted. It was implemented according to the Soviet legislation in order to strengthen the Bolshevik regime and create an atmosphere of general fear in the society.