UKRAINIAN EMIGRATION TO GREAT BRITAIN IN THE LATE 19TH AND FIRST HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY: THE SOCIAL DIMENSION

Abstract

The article presents the results of research into the history of Ukrainian emigration to Great Britain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among the wide range of issues surrounding the history of Ukrainian emigration and the diaspora in Western European countries, the question of the social structure of emigrants, particularly their labour dimension, stands out. This issue is important in view of the need for a thorough analysis of the problems of adaptation of Ukrainians in a new social and economic environment. The purpose of the article is to study the social composition of representatives of Ukrainian emigration to Great Britain in the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century in terms of their labour status and employment problems. The study found that the leading contingent among the Ukrainian diaspora were precisely those who came from rural areas. However, the Second World War shifted the focus. The majority of Ukrainian emigrants were prisoners of war and internees, who were later joined by their families. Due to their social and economic background and the policies of local authorities, they were mainly sent to do unskilled agricultural work in the remote regions of the country. However, most Ukrainians soon moved to large cities (London, Manchester, etc.), where they worked in factories and plants. This was facilitated both by the dominance of the poorly educated immigrant population and by state policy. In the absence of encouragement from the British government, some immigrants still sought to obtain higher education and were rewarded with positions in skilled professions. Despite the significant percentage of Ukrainians staying in the United Kingdom on a temporary basis, by the middle of the 20th century, their stay in this country had generally become permanent, and the development of the community movement demonstrated their desire to establish themselves in the local society while preserving their national identity.

The situation of Ukrainians in Great Britain at the end of the 19th and in the first half of the 20th century essentially echoes the similar situation in subsequent stages of Ukrainian emigration and is relevant to the present day.