Bandera's Knowledge of the Volhynian Massacre: Causes of the Genocide

The deep-seated ethnic hatred that erupted in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia in 1943 has its origins in the 19th century, stemming from the clash of two national projects aiming for statehood. Volhynia, a region of ethnic borderlands, was considered a "small homeland" by both Poles and Ukrainians.

“

We must go back to the 19th century. Volhynia was treated by the Poles and Ukrainians inhabiting it as their small homeland. It was a territory of ethnic borderlands.

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, these competing national aspirations created a political conflict. Ukrainian national consciousness emerged in opposition to the modern Polish national state concept. This was further complicated by social tensions, as large agricultural estates owned by Polish landowners were a source of desire for the overpopulated Ukrainian peasantry.

“

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, two national projects clashed, both aiming to build their own statehood. A conflict arose that had political roots.

While the ethnic conflict is often discussed in the context of all of Volhynia, it primarily affected the western part of the region. Historically, Volhynia's capital, Zhytomyr, saw Poles and Ukrainians coexisting in relative harmony before and after World War I.

“

It must be admitted that at that time, Ukrainian national consciousness was born in these lands in opposition to the modern idea of a Polish nation-state.

Regarding Polish national policy, historian Prof. Grzegorz Hryciuk notes that until 1938, a special assimilation model was attempted, offering concessions in education, culture, and religion in exchange for loyalty to the Polish state. This policy was pursued by the governor of Volhynia, Henryk Józewski. However, after Józef Piłsudski's death and the subsequent political shifts, this approach was abandoned in favor of internal consolidation, driven by military circles. This led to more radical nationality policies, including attempts to divide the Ukrainian community by emphasizing regional differences and promoting the "Polish" roots of certain groups, alongside actions like destroying unregistered Greek Catholic churches.

“

For the sake of order, I will add that when we talk about ethnic conflict, we transfer it to the whole of Volhynia, whereas it mainly covered the western part of this region.