Kalakura O. Poles' Role in Ethnopolitical Processes in Ukrainian Land in the XX Century.

This dissertation provides an all-inclusive ethnopolitical analysis of the Polish minority life in Ukrainian territory throughout the XX century. This dissertation shows that the Polish minority, on the one hand, has been and remains the most deep-rooted community in the Ukrainian socio-cultural strata maximally integrated into the Ukrainian society and, on the other hand, regards itself a particular and distinctive ethnic group, being a part of neighboring Slavonic people, that is Polish political nation, which makes it capable of building a bridge for Polish-Ukrainian mutual understanding and partnership. The analysis of the Polish community ethnopolitical development in Ukraine corroborates the essential theoretical propositions as to common laws of life of national groups in alien ethnical environment, dependence thereof on state structure, political and legal principles, democratic nature of national policy, the extent of its orientation to harmonization of interethnic relations and protection ofliberties and rights of national minorities.Thus, the historical and political analysis of the Polish minority life in the context of ethno-political processes that took place in Ukraine in the XX century, allows to summarize valuable experience (both positive and negative), to learn a number of important and instructive lessons for promotion of cooperation between Ukraine and Poland, and to support practical propositions and recommendations aimed at improvement of state policy regarding national minorities.