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Lyubchenko Panas Petrovych was born on January 2 (14), 1897, in the town
of Kagarlyk (Kyiv region) into a poor peasant’s
family.
He finishied a two-year village school, Kyiv Military Paramedic School
(1914), passed examinations for the school-leaving certificate (1917),
studied for a year at Medical and Law faculties of the St. Volodymyr
University in Kyiv. In 1913 he joined the Socialist
Revolutionary Party. P. Lyubchenko also took part in the World War II, where
he was wounded twice. After the February revolution in Russia he belonged to
the Ukrainian party of Socialist
Revolutionaries (UPSR). He was a member of
Ukrainian Tsentralna Rada from UPSR. He belonged to the left party fraction,
which supported the collaboration
with Russian Bolsheviks. In March 1919 he
joined the Ukrainian party of Socialist Revolutionaries (communists; since
August 1919 — Ukrainian Communist Party (Borotbists), was one of the party
leaders. In March 1920 he joined CP(b)U with his Party seniority dated from
April 1918.
In 1920—1921 he was a secretary of the Kyiv province committee CP(b)U,
deputy head of political department of the Second Mounted Army, head of
Chernihiv Province Executive Committee. In 1922—1927 he was deputy chairman
of Donetsk Province Executive Committee, head of administration of the
Society of Agricultural Cooperation of Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic,
head of Kyiv Province Executive
Committee. In 1927—1934 he was a secretary of CC CP(b)U. At the same time,
since 1933, he was the first deputy head of the Council of People’s
Commissars of Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. In 1930 he played a
disgraceful part of a Public Prosecutor at show-trial of the Ukraine
Liberation Union. P. Lyubchenko was one of the active supporters of the
Moscow imperialistic policy in Ukraine His devotion to Kremlin was higly
appreciated. On April 28, 1934 the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee
resolved «To appoint Comrade Lyubchenko Panas Petrovych Chairman of the
Council of Peoples Commissars of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic».
The range of the Ukrainian Premier was limited by the problems of the
national economy, since the soviet «lofty policy» was made in Moscow, CP(B)U
being its obedient executor, while CPC of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet
Republic worked under surveillance of the political authorities of the
republic. On January 27, 1937 P. Lyubchenko made a speech at the 14th
Extraordinary Ukrainian Congress of Soviets On the Draft Constitution of the
Ukrainian SSR which ended in a servile passage: «The elects of Ukrainian people,
all the Ukrainian people will approve the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR
and promise the great Stalin that we will do everything that the Ukrainian
Soviet Socialist Republic be the best pearl in the constellation of socialist
republics, making up a single and powerful state – the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics. Living under the new Stalinist Constitution we will do
everything that the Soviet Ukraine frontiers be unviolable, that they be the
death border for any enemy who would dare cross them».
It is difficult to say, whether
the speacker comprehended the ambiguity of his mentioning the Ukrainian SSR
as «the best pearl» among the republics of Stalin’s totalitarian state. It is
evident that P. Lyubchenko had no idea that the association «Ukrainian SSR as
the best pearl in the USSR» offered obvious comparison with
the British view of India as the pearl in the crown of British empire a
comparison of the colonial statuses
that was not to the credit of the Soviet propaganda.
In 1937 P. Lyubchenko signed the following resolutions of CPC of
Ukrainian SSR: On the Plan of Sowing Spring Cultures and the Ploughing of
Clean and Lupine Fallows in the Kolkhos-Peasant Sector for 1937 (January 29,
1937); On Teaching the Constitution of the USSR at a Secondary School
(February 4); On the Plan of Pasportisation of Sires: Bools, Boars and Rams,
at Collective and State Farmus of the Ukrainian SSR (April, 7); On
Preparation and Performance of the Intercrop Treatment of the Sugar Beet and
Pest Control (April 9); On the Plan of the Ukrainian SSR National Economy for
1937 (May 5 — jointly with Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Ukrainian
SSR); etc.
P. Lyubchenko was elected a member of Presidium of the All-Ukrainian CEC
and member of CEC of the USSR. At the 17th congress of CPSU(B) he was elected
a candidate-member of CC CPSU(B), at the 9th congress of CP(b)U – a
candidate, at the 10—13th congresses – a member of CPSU(B). In 1929—1934 he
was a candidate-member of the Politburo, and since 1934 – member of Politburo
of CPSU(B). He was awarded the order of Lenin (1935).
The Plenum of CC CP(B)U of August 29—30, 1937 became a «death frontier»
for Panas Petrovych. After the report made by Stanislav Kosior the Plenum
considered a question «on bourgeois-nationalist organization of the former
Borotbists and about relations of P. P. Lyubchenko with this organization».
On June 30 Panas Petrovich made a long speech denying categorically all the
accusations brought against him, but he could not persuade those present.
During the break between the Plenum sittings P. Lyubchenko came home and shot
his wife and himself (there is also a version that Lyubchenko was killed by
the agents of People’s Commisariat of Home Affairs).
On September 2, 1937 Pravda wrote that P. P. Lyubchenko had committed a
suicide since «he became enmeshed in his anti-Soviet relations and, he feared
of being called to account for the betrayal of the interests of Ukraine».
«Strange as it may seem» the paper said the truth «the late head of CPC
of Ukrainian SSR had no anti-soviet relations», but he had really betrayed
interests of his homeland, the Ukrainian idea. And his suicide appears (in
contrast to that of M. Skrypnyk) rather a result of falling out among thieves
than an act of the civic courage.
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