Restoration and Activity of Clubs in Mykolaiv Region in the Post-War Period (1945-1955)

Abstract

The paper discloses the features of restoration and activity of cultural and educational institutions in the countryside of Mykolaiv Region, their cultural, educational, and political and mass work with the peasantry in the post-war period.

In the post-war period, the network of cultural and educational institutions in Mykolaiv Region was restoring mainly at the expense and by the peasants themselves. In some villages and collective farms, there were facts of use of cultural and educational institutions not for the intended purpose: clubs were filled with grain, rebuilt for dryers, stables, poultry yards, dormitories, etc.

The appearance of the clubs was also quite unattractive. They were abandoned, dirty, roofless, with damaged corners, the walls and ceilings were cracked, they were not lighted because windows were laid with stone. There was no greenery around the clubs, and it was dirty under the windows. Most clubs needed complete inside overhaul, there were no floors, the stoves, ceilings, and walls collapsed.

The success of cultural and educational institutions depended on the correct selection, positions, and education of staff. The heads of clubs were mostly young people who had neither special education nor sufficient work experience. Amateur arts circles were created, again on the initiative of the peasants themselves. District and village clubs were visited by moving cinemas with portable film projectors and newly created theatres with their plays. And of course, the main work of cultural and educational institutions included lectures.

The activities of all cultural and educational institutions were rigorously regulated by the senior Party leadership. The repertoire and performers were strictly checked. It was the main reason why the work of the organizers of cultural activities was suppressing and its development was suspended.