The dissertation is the result of a comprehensive scientific and historical study of the formation, development and activities of Volyn «Prosvitas» in the period 1917–1936. In fact, during this period, Volyn «Prosvitas» went from the formation and expansion of its network to its complete liquidation by the Polish authorities.
At the final stage of the First World War Prosvita's ideas were spread and penetrated deeper into the Volyn region. The peculiarity of the spread of these ideas in Volyn was that they were brought to the region in two ways – by Ukrainian Sich riflemen from Galicia and representatives of the national intellectuals from above the Dnipro region of Ukraine. Moreover, the history of Volyn «Prosvitas» is quite specific for a number of reasons. Firstly, Prosvita organizations in the region were established much later (at the end of the First World War) in comparison with neighbouring Galicia, despite the fact that the structure of Galicia «Prosvitas» was taken as a model, in Volyn it could not be completely reproduced due to objective reasons. Secondly, the community in Volyn has never had a unified centralized structure, as it was in Galicia or in the Carpathian region, and therefore the specificity of the Prosvita movement in Volyn was that in the region were
formed and operated separate and unrelated centres, hence the term «Prosvitas» is advisable to use instead of «Prosvita». Thirdly, Volyn «Prosvitas» had separate statutory documents or, more often, worked without them, which was one of the reasons for their liquidation by the Polish authorities. In addition, the national policy pursued by the Second Polish Republic, which provided for the assimilation of people of Polish descent, ran into opposition from Volyn «Prosvitas», and therefore they were hostile to the Polish authorities.
The dissertation consists of an introduction, four chapters divided into ten sections, conclusions and a list of sources used. The first section «Methodological aspects of the research, historiography and sources» is devoted to the characteristics of the methods used and the analysis of historiography and the source base of the study. Historiography is divided into three groups: general works, studies about the «Prosvitas» history and its activities that are directly related to the creation, operation and liquidation of «Prosvitas» in Volyn in the interwar period.
The source base that was used for the research is quite diverse, wide and informative, which allowed supporting the analytical conclusions with the documents about the peculiarities and problems of the formation and development of Volyn «Prosvitas». Unpublished archival sources and published documentary materials formed a wide source base of the thesis.
The second section «Organizational fundamentals and conditions of the «Prosvitas» development in the Volyn region» reveals the peculiarities and conditions of the first educational centres in the region in the final years of the Great War, and the direction of penetration of «Prosvitas» in Volyn was traced. «Prosvitas» development and activity in Volyn dates back to the period of the establishment of Polish statehood. Volyn's accession to the Second Polish Republic determined the conditions for the development and operation of Volyn «Prosvitas», which the Polish authorities considered a threat to Poland's state goals, as they defended the Ukrainian language, national church, culture, national schooling and the Ukrainian state idea.
The third section of the thesis «The main activities of Volyn «Prosvitas» includes three sections which analyze the main activities of educational centres, a
dense network of them was in Volyn during the period under study, studying of librarianship, national schooling development, support of the social movement aimed at Ukrainianization of churches, development of musical, choral and dramatic arts in particular. Numerous archival documents and published materials allowed to reveal the diversity of «Prosvitas» activities in Volyn, to trace its social base, and to analyze the problems faced by Volyn «Prosvitas» in the interwar period.
The fourth section of the research «Prosvitas» liquidation by the Polish authorities in Volyn: reasons, turn of events and consequences» analyzes the reasons why the Polish government attacked Volyn «Prosvitas», clarifies the methods and forms of «Prosvitas» persecution and their activists. It is proved that the liquidation of Volyn «Prosvitas» was the result of assimilating, anti-Ukrainian policy of the Polish government towards Ukrainians in general, and Volyn «Prosvitas», in particular. Also, it was caused by complex interethnic and political Polish-Ukrainian relationships during the period under study and insufficient unity of national Ukrainian political forces and public organizations.
