Ukrainization

Ukrainian social policy

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July 14, 2026

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Ukrainization was a policy implemented in Soviet Ukraine during the 1920s as part of the broader Soviet "indigenization" program. This policy aimed to promote Ukrainian language, culture, and the recruitment of ethnic Ukrainians into government and party positions. It led to a flourishing of Ukrainian literature and education, with a cultural orientation towards Europe. However, this national revival faced resistance from non-Ukrainian Communist Party leaders and growing concern in Moscow. By the late 1920s, Ukrainization efforts were curtailed, and a period of Russification began, particularly in education and public life.12

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Ukraine
The New Economic Policy and Ukrainization
…inaugurated a decade of rapid Ukrainization and cultural efflorescence. Within the CP(B)U itself, the proportion of Ukrainians in the rank-and-file membership exceeded 50 percent by the late 1920s. Enrollments in Ukrainian-language schools and the publication of Ukrainian books increased dramatically. Lively debates developed about the course of Ukrainian literature, in…
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…inaugurated a decade of rapid Ukrainization and cultural efflorescence. Within the CP(B)U itself, the proportion of Ukrainians in the rank-and-file membership exceeded 50 percent by the late 1920s. Enrollments in Ukrainian-language schools and the publication of Ukrainian books increased dramatically. Lively debates developed about the course of Ukrainian literature, in…
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