In this thesis cultural and educational changes in the peasant youth environment of Ukrainian SSR in the first decade of Bolsheviks power are investigated on the basis of analysis of wide range of sources. Aim of the research is to provide detailed analysis of a number of its important characteristics: education, upbringing, leisure.
Components mentioned above are significant factors that were influencing the formation of personality and later became one of the indicators of socio-cultural and educational progress. At the same time comprehensive study of socio-cultural features of peasant youth allowed the author to highlight the mechanism of party control over cultural and educational development of the society.
During the problem development it was found that peasant youth, as a special demographic cohort of the population, was an active participant in socio-cultural changes. Peasant youth, once under the scrutiny of the ruling party and at the time was the object of Bolshevik policy aimed at creation of «new» type of a person.
It was found that during 1920s there was a demand on getting educational services among youth. The latter was accompanied by the emergence of different types of schools and forms of extracurricular education. The most common and widespread among them, were vocational agricultural schools and agricultural groups. «The school of peasant youth» became a kind of innovative educational institution. Its feature was in providing a wide range of educational and practical activities of students. Thanks to it, peasant youth got an opportunity to acquire necessary knowledge, skills and abilities for professional realization in the agricultural sector. The education process encouraged young boys and girls to productive activities, such as organization of exemplary farms, trial fields, grain cleaning stations and various industry associations. This amateur art contributed to the increase in authority of the youth in peasant communities and educational establishments claimed to become an important agricultural production centers. However, the author concluded that the existing network of various hobby groups, schools and courses could not fully meet the existing demand and could not involve all the students from peasant areas into the learning process. The existing network showed it embryonic stage.
The thesis pays a lot of attention to the process of formation of personality of the young people in the countryside from the perspective of their leisure patterns. It has been found that during 1920s traditional forms of spending free time in the peasant youth space remained habitual. The surrounding of communication and socialization were vechornytsy (dosvitki) and «street».
Detailed analysis of available resources revealed that soviet power with the help of Komsomol cells carried out purposeful work to destroy the traditional activities of peasant youth under the slogan of combatting the things of the past. At the same time, it offered the public its institutions for leisure-silbuds and reading rooms, to attract non-party youth resources to the development of new socialist society and gain control over their development. The activities of Komsomol members towards destroying usual youth leisure occurred in the most different methods that characterize Bolshevik propaganda system – from strict bans to transformation of vechornytsy and «street». Based on the examined factual material the author has found that peasant boys and girls managed to demonstrate commitment to the traditions, despite the numerous Komsomol campaigns to master leisure sector.
The work pays significant attention to the place of theatrical art in the leisure of peasant youth. The author found that peasant theatre became the cultural niche to meet the spiritual and aesthetic needs of youth during 1920s and drama clubs were the most popular and accessible form of expression of their art aspirations. Youth fulfilled their own artistic impulses, formed and brought up spiritual values and participated in preservation of cultural heritage with the help of theatre.
It was found that there were obstacles in the theatrical and dramatic work of boys of girls, among them were lack of the leaders of drama clubs and art directors, special rooms, methodological and logistical support. On the other hand, there were problems with the discipline of the youth that took part in the performances and with their seasonal agricultural employment or marital status. The latter caused that young artists showed low-level performances. However, it was proved in this thesis that theatre groups enjoyed great popularity among the inhabitants of peasant areas and in Ukrainian SSR districts were many examples of successful drama clubs, despite the organizational, financial and material problems of theatre groups.
