Historian Every Saturday: Oleksandr Zaitsev. The phenomenon of Ukrainian nationalism of the 1920s–1950s (09.03.2024)
A lecture by historian Oleksandr Zaitsev (Ukrainian Catholic University; the “Historian Every Saturday” series) on the phenomenon of Ukrainian nationalism. Key points: the OUN as a “proto-fascist” national-liberation organization (not a fascist party in power); its evolution toward democratic nationalism from 1943–44; and an honest acknowledgment of the participation of some nationalists in violence against Jews (Himka’s challenge) and of Bandera’s failure to condemn Volhynia. A source for the article on the correct answer to the question of whether the OUN was fascist.
Key moments
- 2:51 "Was the OUN fascist?" — "one can say so, but it isn't worth it"; proto-fascism
- 8:16 1941: Hitler did not recognize independence → the OUN also fought against fascism
- 8:40 Evolution toward democratic nationalism (1943–44, the UHVR)
- 32:25 Honest on the Holocaust: there is no denying participation in violence against Jews