Transformation of Reading Houses in Ukraine in the Second Half of the 1940s – First Half of the 1960s

The purpose of the article is to analyze and summarize information about the functioning of reading houses in Ukraine in the period 1945–1965 and identify features of their development in this period, highlight the main stages, reveal the dynamics of distribution, the specifics of their rise and fall, and explore major areas, cultural and educational activities in the context of the gradual transformation of reading houses into village clubs and libraries. The methodology of the research is to apply both general scientific research methods and historical methods. In particular, the comparative method was used to analyze statistical data on the dynamics of reading houses at different stages of their activity. The comparative-historical method of research has allowed to study the phenomena and events that have affected the development of reading houses, along with other phenomena of social and cultural life of society, in particular in relation to the activities of libraries and clubs. With the help of factor analysis it was possible to trace the peculiarities of the formation of different cultural institutions, to concentrate the initial information on the conditions of formation and functioning of reading rooms in Ukraine during the period 1945–1965, to determine the purpose of their activity, characteristic features of development and to present the analyzed information in as an array of concentrated data and tables. The scientific novelty of the work is to expand ideas about cultural, educational, educational and library activities of reading houses as centers of cultural and educational life in rural areas on the territory of Ukraine in the first two decades after the Second World War. Conclusions. Until the early 1950's. Reading houses in Ukraine were one of the most popular rural cultural, educational and information institutions of the club type and, at the same time, one of the leading types of rural libraries, which was formed at the turn of the 1920s–1930s. x., and after World War II continued to develop. In the second half of the 1940s and 1950s, reading houses continued to improve their forms of activity, develop and expand their social functions. Becoming part of the state ideological system, reading rooms performed such general social functions as educational, informational, culturaleducational, educational, spiritual-ideological and some special functions, such as propaganda campaign (propaganda of Marxist-Leninist theory, foreign and domestic policy). CPSU and the Soviet state, scientific atheism, production, technical and agricultural knowledge and achievements, etc.). In addition to propagating Marxist-Leninist ideas, the reading rooms contributed to the formation of patriotism and increased the enthusiasm of the peasants. They were effective leaders of the ideas and decisions of the Soviet government among the peasants and, of course, were under the close attention and control of party organizations at all levels. In the second half of the 1940s and 1950s, the activities of reading houses in Ukraine were marked by the search for new methodological approaches to cultural and mass work (such forms of work as cult campaigns, social competitions, evenings of questions and answers, mass lecture propaganda, group activities were developed, mobile library service). In those reading houses, where the situation was well done, and cultural events were held informally and at a high professional level, there, as a rule, used a variety of forms and methods of cultural and educational work. A wide range of cultural and educational activities of the peasants unfolded around the reading houses. Reading houses became the strongholds of all cult work among the peasants, in particular the rural intelligentsia, developed cultural forms of their leisure and creative activities.