OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY OF PRYKARPATTIA DURING THE SECOND SOVIETIZATION OF WESTERN UKRAINIAN LANDS, 1944–1953

Abstract

During the second Sovietization of Western Ukraine, there was an intensive process of industrialization. The top leadership of the USSR set high goals: to quickly catch up with all other regions of the USSR in heavy industry, the reconstruction of old plants and factories, as well as the development of new ones. The main task was set for the oil and gas industry, the minerals in which Prykarpattia was rich. The article analyzes the process of Soviet industrialization in this chronological period and the development of the first refineries. As was investigated, then in the Ivano-Frankivsk region (then – Stanislav region) started the active construction of oil and gas pipelines and towers, and began transportation of oil and gas not only in Ukraine but also to Moscow and Belarus. The article presents an analysis of statistical data on oil and gas production for various periods. The main conditions for the development of heavy industry in Prykarpattia are revealed. At the same time, the development of industry led to the impoverishment of the region's population, eviction, and deportation of dissatisfied people outside the country. However, new methods and ways of extracting and refining petroleum products were invented, which eventually led to the construction of large plants, factories, and enterprises. Additionally, highlighted that the oil and gas industry remained an essential spectrum of economic growth in Prykarpattia, and its development during the second Sovietization led to a rapid pace of industrialization. Moreover, the development of the industry made it possible to develop the oil refining and gas industries, which allowed them to raise the economy to a new level. Oil fields in the Stanislav region were connected with the growth of other sectors of the economy, for instance, forestry, coal, and salt. Characterizing this industry, the author sees significant changes in the social sphere and improvements in the lives of the population of the region.