ORIGINS OF THE PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT OF UKRAINE – IVANO-FRANKIVSK REGIONAL CULTURAL AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY “RUKH”

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to analyze the first independent public organizations of the Ukrainian SSR and the contribution to the state building on the example of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Cultural and Scientific Society (CSS) “Movement” (“Rukh” – (“Malyi Rukh”)) in the historical context, the revival of democratic processes in the region on the Ukrainian national soil, the cooperation with similar organizations in other cities of the UkSSR, the USSR and the diaspora. The research methodology is based on the fundamental principles of objectivity and historicism, which provide for the consideration of individual phenomena and processes in their development and a close connection with the system of relevant social relations. The historical facts have been considered against the background of the political processes, which imply the use of the comparative analysis method, owing to which, there has been clarified the essence of many significant events for the Ukrainian socio-political thought of this period. The scientific novelty consists in the fact that on the basis of the available press of that period, as well as previously unpublished sources from the archives of Ivano-Frankivsk National Organization of People's Movement of Ukraine (AIFNOPMU), the attempt was made to realize the process of forming socio-political organizations of the Ukrainian SSR, which by large-scale protests, formed the political consciousness and national pride. The Conclusions. A national democratic revival in Ukraine during the late 1980-ies took place by creating centers of socio-political organizations according to the scheme “from the bottom – upwards”. Clubs, unions, committees, circles, associations, societies, parties complemented each other and inscribed the golden core in the national progress and functioned for the Ukrainian statehood. Numerous culturological “informal” associations, which began functioning in the Ukrainian SSR during the second half of the 1980-ies, set themselves one of the most important tasks – the revival of the Ukrainian culture, language, education and the state. Among culturological “informal” associations Ivano-Frankivsk Regional CSS “Movement” (“Rukh” (“Malyi Rukh”)) stood out – a new type of organization – the state type in form and spirit. The historical merit of Ivano-Frankivsk regional CSS “Movement” (“Rukh”) consists in the fact that this organization in a classical form and under its own name (which spread to all-Ukrainian), was formed by the public and was one of the sources (forerunners) of People's Movement (Narodnyi Rukh) of Ukraine at the end of 1987. Ivano-Frankivsk regional CSS “Movement” (“Rukh”) worked actively with societies in most regions of the UkSSR, the republics of the USSR and the diaspora. The organization arose as a result of a public need and on the initiative of its founders, despite the obstacles made by the party-state apparatus. The “Rukh members” used various forms and methods of a political struggle, from popularizing the Ukrainian customs and traditions to mass political protests. They worked selflessly and sacrificially to restore the Ukrainian state. As a result of the elections on March 4, 1990 to the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR and the local Soviets of People's Deputies together with other national democratic organizations, the Society eliminated the communist regime from power and initiated decommunization processes. In the majority of the regions of Ukraine, these processes intensified only during recent years, but in Ivano-Frankivsk (Lviv and Ternopil regions) these processes took place during the beginning of the 1990-ies.