LOCATION OF THE GRECO-CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE BOYKOT OF CENSUS OF POPULATION IN 1921 IN GALYCHYNA

Abstract

In the article the author, on the basis of a broad archival source base, finds out the place of the Greek Catholic church in the boycott of the population census of 1921. In particular, the materials of the Polish archives: Warsawa, Krakow, Peremyshl; documents of the state archives of Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk.

The author states that the Polish authorities conducted a population census in order to demonstrate the recognition of the Ukrainians’ belongings of the Galician lands to Poland, as well as to demonstrate the superiority of the Polish population in Galicia. It was proved that Ukrainian parties called on Galician Ukrainians to boycott the census of 1921, since from the point of view of international law, Eastern Galicia at that time was not yet part of the Polish state and the holding of the Polish census contradicted international norms. It was found that about half of the Ukrainian population of Eastern Galicia did not participate in the census of 1921.

 Ukrainian political parties, public organizations and the Greek Catholic Church boycotted the census. For the active civic position of the priests were subjected to repression: imposed fines, interned, arrested. It was determined that the Polish authorities tried to help eliminate the anti-Polish-minded priest from the parish, by exchanging it for a more loyal one. The Polish administration also monitored the activities of graduates of the Greek Catholic Seminary, which held an active state position.

Keywords: Greek Catholic Сhurch, Population census, Eastern Galicia, The Polish administration, Greek Catholic Seminary.