Two years in Soviet Ukraine;: A Canadian's personal account of Russian oppression and the growing opposition

Born in Cobalt, Ontario, of Ukrainian-born parents, John Kolasky left home at 15 to seek work during the Great Depression. Like many of his generation he became a radical, a member of the Communist Party and a fervent supporter of the Soviet system. As the Depression eased, he found regular work in the building trades and managed to earn enough to continue his interrupted education. He completed secondary school and subsequently a B.A. at the University of Saskatchewan, an M.A. in History at the University of Toronto and a B. Ped. at the University of Manitoba. He then taught high school in Manitoba and Ontario. In 1963 he was selected to attend the Higher Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine in Kiev, where he spent the next two years. His activities and research in Soviet Ukraine led to his arrest and expulsion from the USSR in 1965. In 1968 his first book, Education in Soviet Ukraine, was published and became an immediate bestseller. Mr. Kolasky, a bachelor, now lives in Toronto. Illustrations Preface 1. The Promised Land, 1 2. The Mayor of Kiev, 7 3. Russian Penetration Contents, 13 4. Soviet Internationalism, 21 5. Centralization and Bureaucracy, 44 6. Bureaucracy Takes Its Toll, 53 7. Those Who Betray, 63 8. The Russians and Shevchenko, 80 9. The Stained Glass Panel, 90 10. Revelations Are Endless, 95 11. The Pace of Criticism Quickens, 117 12. Strangling Ukrainian Culture, 131 13. Censorship, 147 14. Destroying Religion and the Churches, 161 15. The Moral Breakdown, 175 16. Opposition Becomes Manifest, 190 17. The Thorny Road to Immortality, 202 18. A Critic Exposes the Philistines, 211 19. Tension Grows, 217 20. The Past Catches Up, 229 Epilogue, 240 Glossary, 247 Appendices, 248 Index, 261