A peasant society in transition: Ukrainian peasants in five East Galician counties: 1880-1900
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Date
2013-05-08
Authors
Hryniuk, Stella M.
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Abstract
While late nineteenth century Galicia has been the subject of
attention of many writers, past literature about East Galicia has
generally given a limited and at times distorted picture of this region.
It has rarely been treated separately, and generalizations about its
society have been made, and perpetuated, on the basis of erroneous data
or inadequate and/or unsystematic study of the sources. The picture
which has emerged has been of a people living in extremes of political
and socio-economic deprivation; particularly pervasive has been the view
that material poverty was a general feature of that society.
This dissertation challenged the accepted interpretations through
an examination of some aspects of East Galicia, specifically focussing
on the Ukrainian peasantry in five Southern Podillian counties.
Contrary to the received version of its history there were evident signs
of change and improvement. In the area of education, there were more
elementary schools, more teachers, and the teaching of a more varied and
modern curriculum; greater activities of the Ukrainian enlightenment
societies; a growing popular didactic press and a large increase in the
number of reading clubs. All of these contributed to substantial
improvements in literacy and an expanded knowledge base for that society.
The effect was most evident in the agricultural sector, the main source of
income for the population. Average sizes of landholdings were not in any
case as small as has been supposed. Significant improvements in yields of
cereal grains and other field crops were achieved. Also there was a movement
towards production of other commercial crops. Particularly significant
was the increased attention devoted to animal husbandry by the
smallholding peasants. Expansion of agricultural education contributed to
the general improvement in agricultural productivity; particularly notable
is the fact that larger numbers and better quality animals were being
raised by the peasantry of the region. Better marketing opportunities
were made available to the population of the region due to advances in
communications, particularly railways. A wider network of maintained
roads provided greater and easier access to both the major road and rail
connections to other regions of Galicia and Europe.
Dissemination of more health information and better nutrition
contributed to increased quality and length of life. Mortality rates
dropped, and major diseases, specifically cholera and smallpox, were
more effectively contained. Along with adaptations to material changes
in their environment, there came a perceptible change in attitudes on
the part of the people of Southern Podillia. Even while traditional
attachment to the Greek Catholic church and to communal self-reliance
remained, there was a growing acceptance of innovative activities such
as the establishment of consumer and producer cooperatives, fire
insurance and communal credit associations. Especially proninent was
the appearance of political awareness, particularly in respect of local
political affairs. With increased knowledge and awareness came
greater self-confidence and risk-taking, and an increased sense
of control on the part of the peasantry over their own lives - in short,
attributes of a modernizing population. Taken together, these
developments show that Southern Podillian society was undergoing a
transition from a static, subsistence-based society motivated by
traditional behavior patterns, to a more mobile, forward-looking
society. Many problems remained, but the legacy of the past historical
interpretations of this society can no longer be sustained.
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Keywords
Galicia, Ukrainians, peasantry, Podillia