Political Rusynism in Croatia

Abstract

Background: Historiography has long debated the identity of the terms “Ruthenian” and “Ukrainian”. It is obvious that “the Ruthenian” is the historical name of the modern name “the Ukrainian”. However, there are still theories that try to justify the separation of the Ruthenians and the Ukrainians, to recognize the Ruthenians as a separate nation – that is, they promote the ideas of political Rusynism (Ruthenianism). Ukraine's neighbors use a Ruthenian question for their own purposes, primarily to separate the Ruthenians from the Ukrainians in order to assimilate them more quickly. The Ruthenian-Ukrainian community in Croatia did not escape such a problem. The question of political Rusynism is well covered in historiography. However, there are almost no works about political Rusynism in Croatia. Purpose: Consideration of the origin and development of the ideas of political Ruthenianism among immigrants from Ukrainian lands in Croatia and the impact of these ideas on the prospects for the development and existence of both national groups - both Ruthenians and Ukrainians. Results: An immigrants from Ukrainian lands who came to Croatia in the middle of the 18th century identified themselves as the Ruthenians; those who moved here from the end of the 19th century called themselves as the Ukrainians. On the eve of the First World War, russophile tendencies prevailed among the Ruthenians. During the interwar period, contacts between Ukrainian emigrants of various migration waves strengthened. This fact contributed to the spread of the self-name “the Ukrainians”, which coexisted with the name “the Ruthenians”. Post-war attempts to unite the Ruthenians and the Ukrainians into one nationality were unsuccessful. The Yugoslav authorities deliberately separated the Ruthenians and the Ukrainians, and contributed to the formation of the Ruthenian national consciousness. The situation in Croatia was different. Here, the interests of the two ethnic groups were expressed by the Union of Ruthenians and Ukrainians of Croatia (SRiU). The position of the SRiU was that the Ruthenians were traditional, and the Ukrainians were the actual name of the same nation. But there was resistance to such a policy of the Union among the Ruthenians in Croatia. Conservative Ruthenians sought to maintain a certain distance from the Ukrainians. In particular, they held separate festivals, “summer schools” for young people, and used the wording “the Ruthenians and Ukrainians” instead of “the Ruthenians-Ukrainians”. The reason for the recent rise of Ruthenian separatism was the policy of the Croatian government. At the beginning of the 21st century, Croatia, under pressure from the West, adopted a number of pieces of legislation to strengthen the rights of national minorities. The new legislation gave great rights to national minorities (separately to the Ruthenians and separately to the Ukrainians), which leveled the long-standing common policy of the Ruthenian-Ukrainian community. The disputes within the Union resulted in its split and the formation of several separate Ruthenian and Ukrainian organizations. Ruthenian communities promote the preservation of the national identity of the Ruthenians, believing that Ukraine is not their homeland. Thanks to state support, Croatian Ruthenians publish memoirs about the life of their diaspora without mentioning the Ukrainians. Activists of political Rusynism in Croatia accuse Ukraine of assimilating of the Ruthenians, denying a kinship of the Ruthenians and the Ukrainians. Views on a Ruthenian language were also revised. It is believed that its basis is closer to the East Slovak dialect with Ukrainian features. The demarcation with the Ukrainians did not stop the assimilation of the Ruthenians in Croatia. For half a century there has been a steady decline in their numbers. At the same time, the Ruthenian minority is aging, its average age is 50 years. Therefore, the accelerated processes of assimilation among the Ruthenians and the lack of a “mother” state from which they could expect help threaten not only to the long-term dominance of Ruthenian separatism’s idea among the majority of the Ruthenians, but also their survival as a minority. If the Ruthenians of Croatia, in order to save their community, decide to reunite with the Ukrainians, then even under such conditions, the political Rusynism of Croatia also have no prospects for it’s existence. Key words: Croatia, the Ruthenians, the Ukrainians, political Rusynism, assimilation, Union of the Ruthenians of the Republic of Croatia.