Activities of student construction and agriculture brigades of Cherkasy State Pedagogical Institute in 1960–1980s.

Abstract

Abstract. Introduction. Throughout its existence, the Soviet regime had a demanding attitude to the holding of the "third labor semester" in universities, perceiving it as a form of direct participation in communist construction. During Cherkasy State Pedagogical Institute existence, named after the 300th anniversary of the reunification of Ukraine with Russia (CSPI) in the 1960s and 1980s, the work semester was a notable phenomenon and involved various forms of student participation. The scope of this youth labor movement in CSPI is evidenced by the amount of work performed by the students and the size of the capital investments mastered by them.

Purpose. To investigate the peculiarities of the "third labor semester", in particular, the activities of the student construction (SCB) and agricultural (SAB) brigades at the Cherkasy State Pedagogical Institute in the 1960s-1980s.

Results. As a result of the conducted research, the author summarizes that the main forms of participation of CSPI students in the work semester were: participation in the repair of institute buildings and dormitories, work in SCB, SAB, as part of pedagogical brigades as counselors in pioneer camps and at the place of residence of children and adolescents. It is substantiated that despite the obsessively ideological training and the excess of loud slogans and appeals around, the number of those wishing to enter the SCB CSPI was the largest. They accepted only the best students based on competitive selection. The main motives for participating in the SCB were: the desire to change the environment, to see the country, to meaningfully spend the summer holidays in the circle of peers, to learn a new profession, romance, as well as financial interest. For many participants, SCB and SAB became a useful school of life, a world with significant incentives and opportunities for self-realization, conditions for revealing abilities and creative potential. SCB and SAB performed significant volumes of work and mastered impressive sums of capital investments.

Originality. The scientific novelty of this study is determined by the introduction into scientific circulation of unpublished archival materials of the State Archives of the Cherkasy Region and the archive of the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi National University of Cherkasy, which are a representative source base of this intelligence and conclusions drawn by the author of the article.

Conclusion. Studying the history of the student labor movement in Ukraine is an extremely important area of ​​future historical research. After Ukraine's victory in today's Russian-Ukrainian war, there will be a period of post-war reconstruction of the regions of our state destroyed by the Russian aggressor. In those conditions, youth construction brigades will be extremely relevant and in demand. By studying the experience of the SCB and SAB, arguing and motivating the importance and necessity of their work, and raising financial interest, it is possible to effectively stimulate the interest of modern students and youth in the future large-scale reconstruction programs of our country.