UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
Ukrainian-Canadian Communists and the Kryza in Alberta
Description:
CIUS Seminar Audio Part 1 and 2.
"Ukrainian-Canadian Communists and the Kryza in Alberta" was the topic of the seventh Institute seminar of the current academic year at the University of Alberta. Mr. Andrij Makuch, a recent B.A. (honours) graduate in history, and now a research assistant, gave the seminar on January 30, 1979.
Ukrainian members of the Communist Party of Canada formed the backbone of the party since its inception in 1921, but played a minimal role in its key functions. They were restricted largely to activity within their foreign-language unit. When the Communist Party undertook a campaign to radicalize all Prairie farmers after the onset of the Great Depression, it sent the Ukrainian farmers into areas where they already had a degree of support, rather than into other fields.
Their organizational efforts invoked manifestations of loyalty to their adopted country by Ukrainian patriots and an attempted disassociation of communism from Ukrainians. This was both a recognition of the tenuous acceptance Ukrainians had in Canadian society and a reflection of their genuine belief that the communists were undermining the British ideals which they had adopted as their own. The manner in which these forces played themselves out is best illustrated by events in Alberta, which had the largest Ukrainian block settlement in Canada and was an area of strong communist support.
Found in CIUS Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 2 (Spring 1979)
"Ukrainian-Canadian Communists and the Kryza in Alberta" was the topic of the seventh Institute seminar of the current academic year at the University of Alberta. Mr. Andrij Makuch, a recent B.A. (honours) graduate in history, and now a research assistant, gave the seminar on January 30, 1979.
Ukrainian members of the Communist Party of Canada formed the backbone of the party since its inception in 1921, but played a minimal role in its key functions. They were restricted largely to activity within their foreign-language unit. When the Communist Party undertook a campaign to radicalize all Prairie farmers after the onset of the Great Depression, it sent the Ukrainian farmers into areas where they already had a degree of support, rather than into other fields.
Their organizational efforts invoked manifestations of loyalty to their adopted country by Ukrainian patriots and an attempted disassociation of communism from Ukrainians. This was both a recognition of the tenuous acceptance Ukrainians had in Canadian society and a reflection of their genuine belief that the communists were undermining the British ideals which they had adopted as their own. The manner in which these forces played themselves out is best illustrated by events in Alberta, which had the largest Ukrainian block settlement in Canada and was an area of strong communist support.
Found in CIUS Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 2 (Spring 1979)
Author:
CIUS
Publisher:
CIUS
Date:
January 30, 1979
Contributor:
Andrij Makuch
Language:
English, Ukrainian
Original Format:
Magnetic tape, audio cassette
Files
Collection
Citation
CIUS, “Ukrainian-Canadian Communists and the Kryza in Alberta,” CIUS-Archives, accessed April 20, 2024, https://cius-archives.ca/items/show/1985.
