Eco-nationalism, “Green World” Association and path to the independence of Ukraine in late 1980s – early 1990s
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Abstract
Introduction. The problem of social activism in the Ukrainian SSR after the Chernobyl disaster is widely studied by researchers. American researcher J. Dawson developed the theory of eco-nationalism in the late 1990s, according to which a specific movement emerged in the “nuclear” Soviet republics – eco-nationalism that combined ecological and national movements. She contends, however, that the two movements existed in parallel and their degree of convergence depended on the local context. Novelty. Although there are a number of studies on specific aspects of this theory, they are fragmented and the situation in the Ukrainian USSR has not been the subject of deep research. The purpose of the article is to investigate the social activism in Ukraine in the late 1980s - early 1990s taking the example of the Ukrainian environmental association «Green World». Methods. The study is based on an analysis of the original documents of the KGB and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine and the memoirs of members of the association. Results. The Chernobyl accident was a catalyst for the general public’s dissatisfaction with the Soviet government’s policies in many areas. First of all, it led to the emergence of the anti-nuclear movement, which we identify with the environmental one. Important role in the emergence of environmental movement in Ukraine played creative intellectuals - writers who at the same time represented the ideas of cultural nationalism. The accident radically changed their views on nuclear energy and sparked a public debate on its prospects in the republic. At the initiative of the Union of Writers of Ukraine, the “Green World” Association was established. During 1987-1989, it started activities, hold many protests, adopted the program and strategy. “Green World” has become a leader of the environmental movement and an umbrella to unite disparate environmental informal groups. Conclusions. Although the association’s official documents do not contain slogans of obvious nationalist orientation and it has chosen an ecological niche for its activities, we have found a number of facts that allow us to claim that it supported many nationalist actions and demanded expansion of the Ukrainian ethnic group’s sovereignty in the USSR. Thus, it contributed to the spread of the eco-nationalism ideology and the shaking of the foundations of the USSR, which led to Ukraine’s independence in 1991.
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References
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