Петро Шелест
Petro Shelest

Author(s): Yuriy Ivanovich Shapoval
Subject(s): Post-War period (1950 - 1989), History of Communism
Published by: Інститут політичних і етнонаціональних досліджень ім. І. Ф. Кураса НАН України
Summary/Abstract: In the political history of Ukraine in the XX century, the special place belongs to Petro Shelest. After a hard way of life, in 1963, he became the First Secretary of Central Committee of Communist party in Ukraine. He supported N. Khrushchev and his political line, but he was among those, who helped L. Brezhnev to come to power. He opposed strongly to «the Prague Spring» in 1968 and at the same time, he blockaded the total suffocation of the dissent in Ukraine. He accepted Stalin’s authority and at the same time, he demanded that the Moscow leadership adhered officially declared principles in relations between the centre and Soviet republics. He was against the dismantling of the USSR and at the same time, he helped to strengthen Ukrainian national traditions and to respect Ukrainian’s past. What is the secret of Petro Shelest’s duality? Who and how created him the image of “excessive” Ukrainian patriot and even “nationalist”? How did his destiny take out after he had been sent to the “promotion” to Moscow and then he was subjected to political persecution? The author of this book is trying to answer these and other questions.

• Details
• Contents