Podobied O. Cultural and everyday life of displaced persons and refugees from Ukraine in West Germany (the second half of the 1940s)

The thesis considers cultural and everyday life of displaced persons and refugees from Ukraine in West Germany in the second half of the 1940s. The specified scientific problem is almost unexplored. Critical comprehension of historiographic sources and the application of a broad variety of sources represented by archival and published documents and materials, together with the relevant theoretical and methodological base, gave a possibility to disclose the subject of research and reach the purpose and tasks of the thesis. For different reasons, during the Second World War, there were several millions of Ukrainians in Germany. They have become an integral part of society and history of post-war West Germany. The economic crisis that affected West Germany negatively impacted the level and quality of life of displaced persons and refugees from Ukraine. In order to survive somehow and to get food, they were forced to participate in the work of «gray» and “black markets» and to be engaged in barter. DP’s era has changed both the individual consciousness and the social psychology of Ukrainians. There was a significant amount of nationally conscious and highly educated individuals among displaced persons and refugees from Ukraine in post-war West Germany, which determined the development of education and science. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, at the initiative of a united Ukrainian community, a network of Ukrainian educational institutions appeared in the camps of displaced persons and refugees. The development of Ukrainian science in West Germany was concentrated on the restoration of those scientific institutions, which had existed in Ukraine, as well as on the creation of new one. An important feature of the development of Ukrainian humanities in the era of DP was the introduction of Ukrainian studies, particularly in the field of history and linguistics.