Restoration of the rural housing fund in Ukrainian SSR in the period of reconstruction 1943–1945

Abstract

Abstract. Introduction. One of the important problems of the history of the Ukrainian village during the Second World War is the problem of rebuilding its residential sphere, which was destroyed during the Nazi occupation and the war. The importance of solving this problem was determined by the need to provide housing for millions of rural residents who lost it. In view of the above-mentioned reproduction of large-scale measures implemented in the republic aimed at revitalizing the rural housing stock, a comprehensive analysis is required.

Purpose. In view of the above, the author aims to analyze the process of reconstruction of the rural residential sphere in 1943-1945 and its results.

Results. The large-scale destruction and destruction of the housing stock in the Ukrainian countryside during the Nazi occupation and during the war, as a result of which millions of villagers were left homeless and forced to live in unfit buildings, led to the beginning of immediate measures for its reconstruction immediately after the liberation from the occupiers. However, at the initial stage, the volumes and pace of solving this complex task were far from real needs due to the fact that the peasants did not have the necessary funds for this, and the state, in the conditions of the ongoing war, did not have the opportunity to provide the necessary financing and logistical support for reconstruction works, limited labor resources that could be involved in housing reconstruction. Also, under such conditions, the repair and construction of new housing in the villages of the newly liberated regions was carried out mainly by the forces of the affected villagers themselves, who were forced to procure the necessary building materials and perform most of the construction work themselves. For many peasant families, whose men fought or died, this turned out to be an overwhelming task. In many cases, the repair and construction of housing was carried out only thanks to peasant mutual aid. Under such circumstances, a significant number of peasants who lost rye were unable to renew it during 1943. At the cost of extraordinary efforts during 1943-1944, only 205,060 residential peasant settlements were restored and built in the liberated areas of the republic, which was 34.7% of the total number of residential buildings destroyed and destroyed to the point of being uninhabitable.

More favorable opportunities for the reconstruction of the rural housing stock arose after the liberation of the territory of the republic from the occupiers, and especially after the end of the war. In accordance with the decisions of the Union and republican authorities, state financing and lending for the needs of rural housing construction increased, work on creating a material base for it based on the use of local raw materials, organizing the production of furnace cast iron and iron and hardware products was intensified, construction teams were created in collective farms, which were used in the construction and repair of residential facilities. An important factor that had a positive effect on the reconstruction of the rural housing stock was the fact that the front-line soldiers demobilized after the end of the war were involved in it. In general, even in 1945, the reconstruction of the rural housing stock took place in difficult conditions. As in previous years, there were not enough funds, building materials, and labor for this, the vast majority of economically weak collective farms, which were languishing under the burden of overwhelming plans for harvesting agricultural products in the conditions after the occupation devastation in the farms, could not fully undertake the construction of housing for their members. The exception was the most affected and needy families of collective farm workers and infirm war invalids. And yet, albeit with enormous difficulties, the process of rebuilding and building new villages was gaining momentum. During 1945, another 155,840 residential buildings were restored and built, as a result of which the total number of restored rural housing stock reached 61.1% of the number completely destroyed and destroyed to an uninhabitable state during the years of war and occupation. What was achieved made it possible to reduce the severity of the housing problem to a certain extent, but it was not possible to radically improve the living conditions of the villagers, a huge number of villagers continued to live in dugouts and other unsuitable premises. As of the end of 1945, 179,573 families of rural residents did not have their own housing, of which 61,836 families lived in dugouts and 177, 674 - on someone else's square. The housing stock in rural areas of the republic was mostly restored only in 1948, but most of it was of low quality.

Originality. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that the materials presented in it, in the context of the stated goal, complement the national historiography of the period of the Second World War in general, and the historiography of the Ukrainian peasantry of this period in particular.

Conclusion. The above allows us to state that immediately after the liberation from the occupiers, the work on the reconstruction of the destroyed rural housing stock began, but at its initial stage, due to the lack of funds for the villagers and the inability of the state to provide the necessary financing and material and technical support and limited labor resources, the pace and scope of the solution this complex task did not meet real needs. During 1943-1944, with the incredible efforts of the peasants themselves, with peasant mutual aid, it was possible to restore only a third of the destroyed settlements. After the complete liberation of the territory of the republic, and especially after the end of the war, thanks to the measures taken by the allied and republican authorities to increase funding and organization of material and technical support, as well as the involvement of demobilized front-line soldiers, the process of rebuilding housing in the village intensified, as a result of which by the end of 1945 the volumes of the restored housing stock already amounted to almost two-thirds of the total number of destroyed ones. This made it possible to reduce the severity of the housing problem to some extent, but it was not possible to radically improve the living conditions of the villagers, since thousands of peasant families did not have their own housing and continued to live in dugouts and other adapted premises, and the majority of the rebuilt housing was of low quality.