The repressive policies of the Stalinist regime in Vinnitsia region (based on „ukaznyk” from 1948): an antropological approach

Abstract

The article uses an anthropological approach to explore the repressive policy enacted by Stalin's Decree (Ukaz) of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On the eviction from the Ukrainian SSR of persons who willfully evade agricultural labor and lead an antisocial, parasitic lifestyle” (dated February 21, 1948) and its consequences in the Vinnytsia region. The research methodology combines general scientific and historical methods, including the problem-chronological, comparative-historical and content analysis approaches. By applying an anthropological lens to analysis of various types of sources (interrogation protocols, autobiographies/biographies, petitions, character references, official reports, denunciations, etc.) the study reveals, through the stories of thousands of “ukazniks” (special settlers), such key contexts, essential for a deeper understanding of this topic, as the object-subject dynamics of repressive policy, collective and individual responsibility, active and passive participation in repression, dehumanization of perpetrators and victims, etc. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the use of newly introduced archival materials, which were regarded from anthropological perspective. They enabled the author to highlight the repressive forms and methods and to reveal the consequences of the “Decree” implementation for the Ukrainian peasantry. Conclusions. The tragic fates of the “ukazniks” illustrate the Bolshevik regime’s deliberate effort to destroy the Ukrainian ethnos and culture. In the post-war period, the traditional peasant family and community – then the largest social stratum among Ukrainians, were almost entirely destroyed. The consequences of the “Decree” demonstrate that Stalin’s totalitarian policy was fundamentally based on an uncompromising binary of “friend or foe” and the systemic devaluation of human life.