Religion and Education in the Daily Life of the German Population of Ukraine (20-30’s of the XX сentury)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the role of religion and education in the everyday life of Germans in Ukraine during the 20s and 30s of the 20^th century. The number of Catholic, Lutheran, and Mennonite religious communities whose composition was formed by German residents of Ukraine was determined. Using the example of the life of the Mennonite community, the level of involvement of Germans in religious life is clarified, namely their attendance at religious buildings, the duties of believers, etc. The role of clergy in ensuring the functioning of associations of believers has been revealed. In the context of the attack of the Soviet authorities on the church, the process of collapsing the collective forms of religious life of the German minority in Ukraine is emphasized. It was noted that an effective means of the Bolsheviks’ struggle against religious communities was the deprivation of their religious buildings by imposing burdensome taxes on the communities. Since religion among Ukrainian Germans traditionally coexisted quite closely with education, the features of the Bolsheviks’ liquidation of this connection were characterized. The obstacles encountered by the Soviet authorities on the way to the introduction of public school education are highlighted. It was determined that the general financial hardship led to a lack of textbooks (especially German-language ones) and a lack of teachers. The extent of coverage of the German population of Ukraine by educational institutions is shown. The forms of students’ participation in the faithless movement were characterized – with its help, the authorities hoped to quickly rid the Germans of their religious worldview. Attention is drawn to the fact that among the German younger generation, the Soviet authorities singled out specific reference groups of Komsomol members, pioneers, and yellow boys. This was done in order to instill communist ideology.