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UKRAINIAN EMIGRATION IN THE COUNTRIES OF SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE AND THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
Authors: Vlasenko V. M. PhD (History), Assosiate Professor (Ukraine), Sumy State University
Number of views: 578
After the failing Second Winter Campaign of the Ukrainian People’s Army
in November 1921, Ukrainian emigration understood the illusoriness of its quick return to the
homeland. The leaders of emigration attempted to define their further condition. The question
about unification of all emigrations under a slogan of creation of the independent Ukraine has
arisen. The leader of Ukrainian emigration in Romania, the Head of the Extraordinary diplomatic
mission of UNR in this country Kostiantyn Matsiyevych was one of the first, who favored
reorganization of the Government and the State Center of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. He
proposed to the President of the Directory UNR Symon Petliura to shorten the Government’s
structure, reorganize it in accordance with the new matters, and to create the All-Ukrainian
National Center, which will include the representatives of different political movements and
parties. First of all, this center should solve the general emigration questions, for example, of
cultural and educational character, and after to cope with political tasks.
K. Matsiyevych discussed openly the question about convocation of the All-Ukrainian
Congress and election there the All-Ukrainian National Center. He reported on this topic at
several conferences of the Ukrainian emigration in Romania, addressed to Ukrainian
organizations in Berlin, Warsaw, Vienna, Kalisz, Lviv, Paris, Prague and other centers of the
Ukrainian emigration calling to create the public interest groups; he proposed the statute’s
project of the All-Ukrainian National Center. The question of the Center’s residence - Bucharest,
Warsaw, Prague and Paris was discussed together with S. Petliura. The President of the Directory
UNR was considering Paris as the best place of stay for the All-Ukrainian National Center.
But after the kill of S. Petliura in May 1926, the process of unity of the Ukrainian
emigration became a little bit slower. In late 1920th, the unities of emigrations have been
created on site. In June 1929, in Prague, the followers of the Government of the UNR in emigration
convened the First Conference of Ukrainian emigration that contained the Ukrainian emigrants
from 7 countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia. The main Ukrainian emigration
board was elected. During its existence (till 1939) the senior executives were included
D. Herodot, K. Matsiyevych, V. Trepke (Romania), V. Filonovych (the representative of the
Minister for War of UNR in the Balkans).
Early 1930th, the idea of convening of the All-Ukrainian National Congress began to
broaden among the emigrants and western Ukrainians again. On August 5, 1933, in Prague, the
initiative group of convene of the All-Ukrainian National Congress was created. The idea of
convening of the All-Ukrainian National Congress was discussed in press and on forums of
political parties, civil and cultural organizations. But it was postponed because of different
points of view between organizations, which laid claim to the leading role in the Ukrainian
movement. In December 1934, the crossparty conference was held in Lviv. Four political parties of
the Western Ukraine (Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance, Ukrainian SocialistRadical Party,
Ukrainian Social Democratic Party, and Ukrainian National Revival) and three parties of Greater
Ukraine (Ukrainian Radical Democratic Party, Ukrainian SocialistRevolutionary Party, and
Ukrainian Social Democratic Labour Party) took part in the conference. The URDP was
represented by its leader K. Matsiyevych. The conference approved the decision to convene the
All-Ukrainian National Congress. The object and the task of the Congress were defined, as well as
its structure body was determined. The Preparatory Congress Committee (PCC) was created and
included two departments - Lviv and Foreign. K. Matsiyevych was the member of the Foreign
department of PCC; he participated all its conferences, as well as published in “Newsletter of the
Ukrainian National Congress.” As per May 1936, V. Filonovych was chosen to the structure body
of the Foreign committee of PCC. Some countries have established interorganizational
congressional committees, including Romania. Such representatives as V. Trepke (the Head),
H. Vlasiuk, D. Herodot, A. Ivapshyna and H. Porokhivskyi were a part of the Congress.
Despite the numerous events for support, the All-Ukrainian National Congress was
never taken place. The ambitions of some political parties and organizations outweighed the
feasibility of holding a nationwide forum. In May 1938, the Foreign department of the PCC
announced about temporary stay of its activity.