TRANSNATIONAL APPROACHES TO STUDYING THE HISTORY OF THE UKRAINIAN LIBERATION MOVEMENT(on the example of the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations as part of the transnational anti-communist network) The study analyzes the concepts of «transnationalism»

Abstract

The study analyzes the concepts of «transnationalism» and transnational approaches to historiography. The concept of «transnational history» is defined, and the difference between it and historical-comparative studies is explored. Also, there are presented the historical development of these concepts and their possible influence on the paradigm shift of historical research in the Ukrainian history of the 20th century. The author determined how using transnational approaches can influence the research of the Ukrainian liberation movement. For instance, the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations (ABN) in 1946 included more than a dozen national emigration organizations. The bloc was initiated by the Bandera wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, whose members through decades had developed the ideological doctrine of the unification of the subjugated nations and established contacts with national movements in the Soviet Union during World War II and, after the war ended, among emigrant organizations of Eastern Europe. In contrast, in their home countries, communist regimes were established. The author considered the history of the ABN – the Eastern European anti-communist organization of the Cold War – as part of a transnational anti-communist network. The criteria according to which transnational approaches can be applied to studying the history of ABN are defined. This is, in particular, the use in the ideology of the ABN of transnational concepts of «right of self-determination for nations» and «anti-communism», as well as, activities in the field of International Non-Governmental Organization – INGO. In addition, the author argued that the use of transnational approaches can also be through the historical period in which the bloc operated. It was during the bipolar world ideological confrontation that transnational ideas became widespread and non-governmental organizations gained influence, particularly in the public sector of Western democracies. This allowed the bloc to pursue active public activities among national diasporas in the West, actively using anti-communist slogans and thus appealing to the USSR and communist governments in Eastern Europe. Keywords transnational history, ABN, the Cold War, the Ukrainian liberation movement, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists.