CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY NATIONAL HISTORIOGRAPHY ON THE INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE IN POSTWAR UKRAINIAN SSR (1946–1965)

The article examines the characteristics of contemporary national historiography concerning the industrial workforce of the Ukrainian SSR during 1946-1965.Contemporary Ukrainian historians have proved that the postwar recovery of Soviet Ukraine's industry was predominantly based on extensive development.Over 90% of industrial workers are found to have relied primarily on manual labor to meet production targets, while inadequate safety measures frequently resulted in the significant injuries of workers.Despite official rhetoric emphasizing the leading role of the workforce, it had limited actual influence over enterprise management.The regime's continuous mobilization and propaganda efforts -promoting "socialist competition" and various movements of "advanced workers and production innovators" -further reinforced this contradiction.The genuine enthusiasm and self-sacrifice of the workforce, motivated by aspirations for a better future, is stated to have often been entangled with the formalism and ideological demagoguery characteristic of the communist system.The prevailing view among contemporary Ukrainian scholars is that, while individuals sought to rebuild the economy as a means of restoring normalcy for themselves and their families, the Soviet leadership appropriated these efforts under the guise of serving the "higher interests of the homeland of October."Although workers endured harsh living and labor conditions, their belief in a brighter future was reinforced by visible progress in overcoming economic devastation.However, J. Stalin and his inner circle intending to consolidate the totalitarian system rejected democratic reforms.The interests of those benefiting from the command economy and rigid ideological structures further obstructed the change.Additionally, historians emphasize that the absence of prior democratic traditions within mass consciousness hindered the recognition of the need for systemic political transformation.