The Activities of Rural «Prosvits» of Podillia Province in 1920–1922. (on the Basis of the State Archive of Vinnytsia Region)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to clarify the activities of rural «Prosvits» of the Podilsk province and their relationship with the Soviet authorities in the context of strengthening the latter. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, scientificity, and systematicity. During the work, methods of analysis, synthesis, problem-chronological, historical-systemic, generalization, etc. were used. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time in Ukrainian historiography, on the basis of little-known and previously unknown archival materials and documents, the situation of rural «Prosvits» of Podillia province and the peculiarities of their relationship with the authorities of the Soviet regime were traced. It has been established that in the early years of the formation of rural «Prosvits» of the Podilsk province, Soviet officials supported the activities of educational organizations, hoping to use them to promote their ideological principles. The comparatively loyal policy of the regime in relation to educational organizations is defined and substantiated. Conclusions. At the beginning of the 1920s, under the conditions of the formation of the Bolshevik regime in the territory of the Podillia province, the further formation of the village «Prosvits» was observed, the initiators of which were both the inhabitants of the villages and the representatives of the authorities. The latter tried to use the popularity of the associations to strengthen their influence in the village. To fulfill this task, the activities of the centers were financed from the state budget. As the Soviet regime strengthened, educational organizations were systematically reorganized, and their situation began to deteriorate. In the end, not finding mass support among them in carrying out socialist transformations in the countryside, the leaders of Ukraine set out to limit the activities of «Prosvits», and later their complete liquidation.