Social portrait of the party-soviet nomenclature representatives in the western regions of Ukraine at the end of the 40s of the ХХth century (based on archive criminal case materials)

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to reconstruct the social portrait of the party-Soviet nomenclature representatives of the western regions of Ukraine at the end of the 40s of the 20th century according to the materials of the archival criminal case. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, scientificity, authorial objectivity, the use of source studies methods, in particular, the method of internal criticism of sources. The Scientific Novelty. In the article there have been elucidated the social markers of the party-soviet nomenclature representatives in the western regions of Ukraine, based on the materials of the archival and criminal case, and there has been proven the need to involve a diverse source base to highlight the issue. The Conclusions. The socium of the western regions of Ukraine during the first post-war years, when the Stalinist totalitarian regime was restored/established in the region, was much more colorful and diverse than the Soviet class structure, to which they tried to reduce it. An important social group, which was recorded under this name in official documents, was the party-Soviet nomenclature. A diverse historical toolkit, in particular, documents of the Soviet repressive and punitive bodies, help to recreate its complete portrait. The materials of archival and criminal cases, despite their specificity, contain factual data that make it possible to show what social attributes the representatives of the party-Soviet nomenclature were supposed to possess, to find out the specifics of its formation and activity. In addition, they shed light on the ideological beliefs, communication environment, survival strategies and other factors that determined the social status of this stratum of party functionaries. The criminal case illustrates the methods used by the Soviet special services, makes it clear how arrests and punishments quickly changed the status of the nomenclature – from “missionaries of the Red Power” to “enemies of the people”.