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Autumn 1939 - “Sovietization” of western Ukrainian lands.
spring 1941 In whole, changes in Western Ukraine were
of contradictory origin. On the one hand:
1) expropriation of estates of Polish
landowners was conducted;
2) the land reform was brought to effect
(landlords’, monastic and state lands were
confiscated). The land was passed to land
committees being in charge of its distribution
among those peasants, who had little no land;
3) nationalization of industry, trade and
banks;
4) 8-hour working day was introduced;
5) the unemployment rate decreased;
6) state institutions and judicial system were
Ukrainized;
7) a considerable enlargement of Ukrainian
schools, opening of Ukrainian institutions of
higher education, illiteracy elimination,
enlargement of cultural-educational
establishments;
8) improvement of medical care, etc.
But, unfortunately, those positive changes
were nothing compared to repressive
willfulness of Stalin’s administrative-
command system, totalitarian methods, which
destroyed the formed way of life:
1) all Ukrainian political parties were banned,
“Prosvita” was closed, Shevchenko’s
Scientific Society was liquidated;
2) forcible nationalization of even small
enterprises, destruction of a wide network of
cooperatives and cooperative societies;

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