FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE “UNION OF THE RUSSIAN SOKOLSTVO” IN EMIGRATION IN THE 1920s AND 1930s YEARS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the activities of the “Union of the Russian Sokolstvo” in emigration in the 1920s–1930s. Having found themselves in emigration, young people were forced to adapt to new conditions, while not losing their life orientations. Youth movements and associations played a special role in socialization of the younger generation and preserving its connection with the lost homeland. The most active Sokol movement in emigration developed in Czechoslovakia and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Basing on the analysis of archival and published sources and using general scientific methods, the article analyzes the activities carried out by the “Russian Sokol” in Czechoslovakia, the “Russian Sokol” in the Kingdom of the Serbs, the Croats and the Slovenes, and shows the reasons for creating the “Union of the Russian Sokolstvo”. The study emphasizes that participation of the Russian emigrants’ oncoming generation in the activities of Sokol associations contributed to preserving their national and cultural identity, the sense of belonging to the Russian history and the Russian people. It is noted that the “Union of the Russian Sokolstvo” held such events for the local population as exhibitions, where it was possible to get acquainted with the history of the organization, to learn about Russian traditions and to establish relationships between the emigrant youth and local residents. The analysis of sources demonstrated a unified structure of Sokol associations, strict admission rules. The analyzed practices of working with the oncoming generation in Sokol associations combined physical development and raising the young people in love to the motherland, contributed to the formation of national and cultural identity. Extending its activities not only to persons over the age of 18, but to teenagers as well, the Sokol movement helped to occupy the free time of a young man, cultivated the interest in studying and sports, which helped to protect young people from the influence of the “street”.