Communist Party of Ukraine (Soviet Union) - Overview

Overview

See also: Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets and All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets

The Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine was created in July of 1918 in Moscow. Most of its constituent members were former members of the Russian Bolsheviks who in 1917 pronounced themselves Social-Democracy of Ukraine and with the help of the Antonov-Ovseyenko expeditionary forces of Petrograd and Moscow Red Guards instigated a civil war in Ukraine by routing a local Red Guards. After the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk the Bolsheviks faction Social-Democracy of Ukraine was forced to dissolve as all Bolsheviks were forced out of Ukraine.

On October 13, 1952 the party officially was renamed into the Communist Party of Ukraine.

On August 26, 1991 the Communist Party was outlawed in Ukraine. Different sectors reconstituted themselves in different parties. One group led by moderate members under Oleksandr Moroz formed the Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU) out of most of the former members, another group re-created in 1993 the Communist Party of Ukraine in Donetsk under the leadership of Petro Symonenko when the ban was lifted, the rest members either changed their political "compass" or created their own parties of the left orientation such as the Vitrenko bloc, Social-Democratic (United) party, and others.