Ukrainian Communities beyond North America

The Ukrainian immigrant communities that exist outside North America may be divided into two categories. One is characterized by a prevalence of largely assimilated “old immigrants,” with a small admixture of DPS.

The other category of Ukrainian immigrant communities consists almost exclusively of DPS and their children. And the Ukrainians of Germany, Britain, and Australia fall into this group. Germany

In Germany, the community is composed primarily of the tiny portion of refugees and their descendants who, for a variety of reasons, did not join the great exodus from the DP camps in the late 1940s. Some were too old to begin life anew. Others were associated with political parties that retained their headquarters in Germany because of its proximity to Ukraine.

In Munich, the Ukrainian Free University, an emigre institution that dates back to the 1920s, continues to function. Thus, while Germany has been the home for a considerable (albeit dwindling) number of political leaders, community activists, and scholars of the DP emigration that were loath to leave Europe, its Ukrainian community lacks a broad demographic base. Great Britain

The Ukrainians in Great Britain are, to some extent, in a position that is the reverse of the German one. Most were members of the Galicia Division that were captured by the British and transported to England after the war. While many of their comrades eventually moved to North America, a portion of the division’s rank and file stayed on to work in British industrial towns, such as Manchester, Coventry, Bradford, and Nottingham. Unlike in Germany, members of the intelligentsia were relatively scarce among them. Because there was a severe shortage of eligible Ukrainian women, many Ukrainians in Britain married non-Ukrainians. Nonetheless, militant Ukrainian nationalism and the influence of the Banderite OUN are strong among these former members of the Galicia Division. Italy

A small but important center of the Ukrainian diaspora is Rome. After the Soviet government banned the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church in 1946, many of its institutions were transferred to Rome. Monastic orders with links to Ukraine, such as the Basilians, Serving Sisters, and Studites, established their headquarters there. In 1959, the so-called Little Seminary was founded. Largely because of the efforts of Cardinal Slipy, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic church from 1944 to 1984, the Ukrainian Catholic University was established in the late 1960s and the cathedral of St Sophia was completed in 1969.

Another Ukrainian community that traces its origins to the DPS is the Australian one. Despite its geographic isolation, it is one of the best organized and most active in the diaspora. By 1951, about 10% or roughly 21,000 of the DPS arrived here. Young and energetic, they included almost as many East Ukrainians as West Ukrainians, an unusual feature because the latter generally predominate abroad. Although the majority were laborers, they also included a significant number of members of the intelligentsia. As in Britain, men outnumbered women by a considerable margin. The newcomers generally settled in such large cities as Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. As always, the beginnings were difficult and even the most highly educated immigrants worked as simple laborers. But given Australia’s well-developed and expanding economy, the Ukrainian immigrants steadily moved up the socioeconomic ladder. Today their 30,000-member community enjoys a relatively high standard of living and boasts numerous professionals.

Unlike in Canada and the United States, where “old-immigrant” institutions were already in place, in Australia the Ukrainian DPS had to build communal organizations from nothing. Nonetheless, they have achieved notable success in this area. The community’s small size and sense of isolation also made cooperation among its various segments a necessity. Consequently, in 1953 the Federation of Ukrainian Organizations was established to represent and coordinate the activity of its seventeen constituent bodies.

Despite their achievements, the Ukrainians in Australia confront similar problems to those of their compatriots elsewhere in the West. Among the youth born in Australia, assimilation is increasingly evident. As the older generation passes away and no new immigrants arrive, an uncertain future looms before Australia’s Ukrainian community.