THE POPULATION OF RIVNE IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD: ETHNO AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

The article deals with the analyses of Rivne population dynamic in the interwar period. The research was based on the materials of 1921 and 1931 Census. The ethno-religious and socio-economic characteristics of Rivne residents have been given. Most of the population in the town were found to be Jewish during the interwar period, while this was the most distinctive for towns, which in times of Russian Empire were the parts of so called “Smuhi Osilosti” (“Strips of Settlement”). Polish, whose number was increasing during the interwar period, took the second place in the ethnic structure of residents. Ukrainians took only the third place in the national structure of Rivne in the interwar. Thus, the specificity of national population of towns influenced the structure of residents’ employment. Furthermore, there were no big enterprises in towns. While the most part of the population was busy with crafts and trade, a few workers were engaged in communication and state enterprises. The structure of residents’ employment of Rivne in the interwar was changed due to the policy of the Polish government. The 1931 census highlighted four social groups. Among them were the owners of means of productions, intellectual workers (intellectuals), workers and persons with unknown social status. In the social structure of Rivne population in early 1930 a little more than 50% were employees (workers-36,4% and mental workers-14,15%). The owners of means of production were represented by 42,4%. The intellectuals of Rivne worked mainly in the non-productive sphere such as state and local administration, public institutions, educational establishments, communication and healthcare, where in the early 1930s there were about 24,4% of employees.