Ukrainian labor migrants in France as an object of the ideological influence of the Soviet repatriation mission and Ukrainian political emigration after world War II

Анотація

The article, based on a set of sources and research, examines the main forms and methods of the ideological influence of the Soviet repatriation mission and Ukrainian political emigration on representatives of Ukrainian economic emigration in post-war France. Prerequisites and the course of creation of repatriation mission of Ukrainians from France were studied. The measures of Soviet missionaries regarding the ideological processing and inclination to move to the "socialist paradise" of economic migrants were characterized.

The authors revealed the role of the pro-Soviet organization "Ukrainian National Front" in campaigning and mass work among the target audience and financial subsidies from the Soviet authorities.

It is shown that an important part of the work of the repatriation mission was the collection of information about public organizations directly of the Ukrainian emigration, its printed publications and individual activists. They, as well as the Greek Catholic Church, were considered the main opponents in the matter of the repatriation of Ukrainians, since they were competing in the fight for the opinions and attitudes of not only migrants, but also members of the UNF itself.

The Soviet propaganda machine tried to neutralize and discredit the activities of the Ukrainian diaspora and the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in the issue of the return of Ukrainians by all possible actions at the time. The activity of the Ukrainian forces was noticeable and fully resonated with the mood of people who did not want to move to the USSR after a long stay in the European reality.

The tools of influence of the Soviet repatriation mission and partly of Ukrainian political emigration on representatives of Ukrainian economic emigration included almost the entire possible and tested arsenal, mainly verbal, textual and pictorial means of propaganda influence. Ukrainian socio-political emigration, in addition to the above-mentioned forms and techniques, was distinguished by a national cultural and educational component, opening Thursday and Sunday Ukrainian schools, organizing Ukrainian libraries, etc.