Magazine of the Union of Ukrainian Women «Hromadianka» as a Political Body of Prince Olgaʼs Squad

Abstract

The main topics, genres, articles of the magazine of the Union of Ukrainian Women «Hromadianka» are analyzed. Materials in which women promoted the national idea and formed the national consciousness were studied. The main thematic content of the patriotic publication «Hromadianka» is singled out. The organization of the editorial work has been studied: headings and departments. The main publications in which authors of the articles carried out political propaganda against the Polish occupation authorities are presented. It was found out that the publication of the Union of Ukrainian Women «Hromadianka» formed womenʼs patriotism and political consciousness. The main directions of activity of the womenʼs patriotic organization Squad of Princess Olga, which operated in Galicia in the first half of the twentieth century, are indicated.
The Ukrainian national idea became a pervasive idea of the magazine. The organ of the patriotic Ukrainian women’s organization Princess Olga’s Squad played an important role in the political life of Galicia in the first half of the twentieth century, as it united patriotic women in the struggle for political freedoms. The activity of a woman-mother, a woman-guardian of the family hearth, a woman-patriot was supported by the publication as the main ideological component of many articles. Political propaganda on the pages of the publication «Hromadianka» shaped public opinion, especially rural women, who did not always have the opportunity to read and study.
The article analyzes several important publications that demonstrate the main thematic areas. The publication «Hromadianka» promoted a healthy lifestyle among rural women, as well as formed national values among the population: love for the native language, traditions, customs, culture, homeland. The activities of Princess Olga’s Squad and her printed and political body, the Citizen, became widespread in the Galician region, so the Polish occupation regime repeatedly confiscated numbers and issues. The importance, influence and role of the publication «Hromadianka» among the Galician population are significant, as political propaganda against the enemy and the Ukrainian national idea contributed to the liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people in the first half of the twentieth century.