| Abstrakt: |
The article highlights the policy of the Polish administration in Eastern Galicia in the first third of the 20th century. Based on the source material, the main aspects of this policy are shown and its consequences are analyzed. It is shown that the Polish leadership, first of all, undertook the liquidation of local self-government and the introduction of the Polish language in state institutions, which led to the banning of Ukrainian publishing houses and the restriction of the activities of Ukrainian institutions. By the end of 1926, 80% of rural and almost all district and city councils in Eastern Galicia were dissolved. Ukrainians were not allowed to serve in state institutions. For example, in 1925 out of 150 members of the Lviv City Council, only 2 represented the local population. The article emphasizes that the next step in the policy of assimilation of the Galician population by the Polish authorities was the liquidation of Ukrainian schooling and education in general. Pursuing the goal of assimilation of the Ukrainian people, the Polish authorities started a policy of Polonization of schoolchildren. From the very beginning of the occupation of western Ukrainian lands, the Polish authorities took a course to liquidate Ukrainian schools. On July 31, 1924, the Polish Sejm approved three laws in the matter of national minorities: ‘About the language of government of state and local administration’, ‘About the language of government of courts, prosecutor’s offices and the notary’ and ‘About some resolutions in the organization of schooling’. The policy of discrediting the Ukrainian population also extended to higher educational institutions. In 1923, approximately 2.5-3 thousand students of Galicia were forced to study outside their native region, because higher educational institutions were closed. Also, the policy of the Polish administration related to land reform, which led to the colonization of the Ukrainian lands of Eastern Galicia by Polish colonists, is characterized. This reform had extremely negative consequences for the Ukrainian population, because during the years 1919- 1929 in Western Ukraine, more than 600,000 hectares of land belonging to Ukrainians were distributed among the Polish colonists, who numbered 77,200 people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
