Humanitarian Activities of the American Relief Administration on the Territory of Yelisavethrad Region in 1921–1923 (Based on Documents from the State Archives of Kirovohrad Region)

Abstract

The article examines the activities of the American Relief Administration in Ukraine, including the territory of Yelysavethrad Region. It provides information about the inception of the ARA’s operations and discusses the working conditions of the ARA based on archival documents and materials from the State Archives of Kirovohrad Region. The aim of the research is to introduce archival sources related to the activities of the American Relief Administration in Ukraine during the 1921–1923 famine, focusing on the case of Yelysavethrad Region, into scientifi c circulation and popularize them. The research methodology encompasses general scientifi c methods such as analysis, synthesis, description, detailing, and generalization. Historical methodology, including historical-chronological, historical-genetic, and historical-source analysis, was employed during the search and processing of archival documents. The scientifi c novelty of the article lies in a comprehensive analysis of the potential of the documents from the State Archives of Kirovohrad Region for studying the activities of the international organization ARA during the 1921–1923 famine on Ukrainian territories. Information from these documents allows for a deeper understanding of the course of the famine on the Yelysavethrad County, thereby providing a signifi cant addition to the existing knowledge. The local peculiarities of ARA’s operations were elucidate, and its contribution to overcoming the humanitarian catastrophe was establish. This has made it possible to reconstruct a clearer picture of the actual state of aff airs in soviet society. The prospects for further research lies in the necessity of preparing a synthetic study that would comprehensively elucidate the specifi cs of activities of the American Relief Administration (ARA) on the territory of Ukraine, achievable only through the identifi cation and analysis of the widest possible range of documents related to the researched issues. The conclusions emphasize that the documents from the State Archives of Kirovohrad Region enable us to uncover the essence of the ARA’s activities, specify certain aspects of its operations, and reconstruct the contemporary societal relations in Yelysavethrad Region. References: 1. Dramaretskyi, B. (1997). Holod 1921–1923 rokiv v Ukraini [Famine of 1921–1923 in Ukraine]. (Extended abstract of candidate’s thesis). Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Kyiv. [in Ukrainian].2. Kulchytskyi, S. (1996). Komunizm v Ukraini : pershe desiatyrichchia (1919–1928) [Communism in Ukraine : The First Decade (1919–1928)]. Kyiv : Tetra. [in Ukrainian].3. Movchan, O. M., Ohinska, A. P. & Yakovlieva, L. V. (Comps.); Kulchytskyi, S. (Ed.). (1993). Holod 1921–1923 rokiv v Ukraini : Zbirnyk dokumentiv i materialiv [Hunger of 1921–1923 in Ukraine : Collection of Documents and Materials]. Kyiv : Naukova dumka. [in Ukrainian].4. Mykhailovskyi, T. (2018). Diialnist mizhnarodnykh orhanizatsii na Pivdni Ukrainy (1921–1929 rr.) [Activities of International Organizations in Southern Ukraine (1921–1929]. (Candidate’s thesis). Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University. Mykolaiv. [in Ukrainian].5. Mykhailovskyi, T. O. (2010). Diialnist mizhnarodnykh orhanizatsii na Mykolaivshchyni u 20-kh rr. XX st. [The activities of international organizations in Mykolaiv Oblast in the 1920s]. Kraieznastvo, 4, 150–160. [in Ukrainian].6. Pohromskyi, V. (2016). Vysvitlennia diialnosti ARA (Amerykanskoi administratsii dopomohy) za chasiv holodu 1921–1923 rr. v Ukraini ta SRSR na storinkakh entsyklopedychnykh vydan radianskoi doby [Coverage of the activities of the American Relief Administration (ARA) during the famine of 1921–1923 in Ukraine and the USSR in encyclopedic publications of the Soviet era]. Visnyk Kyivskoho natsionalnoho universytetu imeni Tarasa Shevchenka. Istoriia, 2, 49–51. [in Ukrainian].7. Shevchenko, S. (2012). Diialnist amerykanskoi administratsii dopomohy v Odeskii hubernii pid chas pershoho radianskoho [Activities of the American aid administration in Odesa province during the first Soviet famine]. Naukovi zapysky Kirovohradskoho derzhavnoho pedahohichnoho universytetu imeni Volodymyra Vynnychenka. Seriia : Istorychni nauky, 16, 179–186. [in Ukrainian].8. Tryhub, O. & Mykhailovskyi T. (2020). Z dumkoiu pro dopomohu : ARA na Pivdni Ukrainy u 1921–1923 rr. [Regarding assistance : ARA in Southern Ukraine during 1921–1923]. Starozhytnosti Lukomoria, 2, 47–77. [in Ukrainian].9. Yermakova, V. (2014). Diialnist mizhnarodnykh orhanizatsii ARA ta «Dzhoint» po nadanniu dopomohy dytiachomu naselenniu Skhidnoho Podillia v umovakh holodu (1921–1923 pp.) [The activities of the international organizations ARA and «Joint» in providing assistance to the child population of Eastern Podillya during the famine (1921–1923)]. Sumskyi istoryko-arkhivnyi zhurnal, 23, 61–66. [in Ukrainian].