JERZY GIEDROYC AND THE UKRAINIAN QUESTION IN THE COLD WAR PERIOD

Despite efforts of the Soviet Union authorities to make Ukraine an integral part, historical circumstances and prominent personalities have influenced preservation of memory of its history and political ambitions. The end of the Second World War led to redistribution of spheres of influence between the two superpowers. Their relationships for a long period were characterized as the Cold War. In difficult conditions of ideological and political confrontation, several emigrant centers were formed; Paris was one of the most influential ones. Prolonged journalistic and socio-political activity of a brilliant intellectual Jerzy Giedroyc is associated with the French center of Polish emigrationThe article deals with the main components of Jerzy Giedroyc' activity as the editor of the journal "Culture". In fact, until the destruction of the Soviet Union, the journal remained the most authoritative in émigré and dissident circles. On its pages there was an intense literary, historical and political debate, and the representatives of the opposition forces of the Warsaw Pact were able to publish their work.The particular Giedroyc' merit is associated with a new formulation of the Ukrainian issue and the formation of the circle of supporters of its ideas. Due to his conception, the idea of Ukraine statehood received special support; it joined the efforts of Ukrainians and Poles to implement independence. The cooperation of the editor of "Culture" with the Ukrainian emigration was extremely productive, the term "Executed Renaissance ", as well as the idea of creating an anthology of works of representatives of this generation, belong to him.Jerzy Giedroyc together with accomplices developed the conception of the Central and Eastern Europe transformation to overcome totalitarianism, establish peace and democratic order. The pages of "Culture" published material substantiating the conceptions of the federation of the countries of the Inter-Sea (a federation of territories between the three seas - the Adriatic, Baltic and Black).Jerzy Giedroyc’s ideas were condemned in socialist Poland, and they were absolutely seditious in the Soviet Union. Despite ambiguous attitude towards the idea of the Ukrainian independence among the Polish figures, gradually, thanks to Jerzy Giedroyc activity, it found support in opposition circles of Poland.The evidence of efficiency of Giedroyc’s activity was «The Declaration on the Ukrainian Cause» signed by the representatives of the Polish, Russian, Czech and Hungarian emigration in 1977. The declaration later became the basis for the establishment of the national states in the CEE.