Modernization on Empty Coffers: Polish Minority Institutions in Early Soviet Ukraine

Abstract

After the Civil War, the Bolshevik government planned to mobilize the Soviet population on a voluntary basis and installed opportunities for local self-administration. Rural soviets were the most promising initiative. National minorities received particular attention. Western Soviet Ukraine with its Polish communities provides case studies for the practical impact of these ‘affirmative action’ policies. This article explores three configurations of Polish minority institutions: (a) neighbouring rural soviets close to an urban centre, (b) neighbouring rural soviets far from any urban centre and (c) isolated rural soviets far from any larger urban centre. Whereas small and poor Polish rural soviets could not function properly, bigger and financially better-equipped ones could improve their communal life by well-equipped community centres and minority schools. Yet despite the affirmative action propaganda, the state and party institutions drained the local self-administration of their financial surplus. With a few exceptions, they did not plan to invest sparse state funds into the development of a particular Soviet Polish culture. This lack of financial commitment combined with the Polish communities’ resilience against atheist initiatives from above led the communist organizations within the rural soviets such as KNW, Komsomol, and the Pioneers to complete failure. The subsequent disappointment within the party paved the way for ideas of forced collectivization.