Social Insurance Aid of the Soviet Post-War System in the Western Regions of the Ukrainian SSR

Abstract

The issues of population social security are also urgent in Ukraine in the 21st century. A lotof these issues still remain poorly studied. The purpose of this article is to clarify the circumstances of the social insurance system formation in the post-war policy of Soviet social security system in the western regions of Ukraine.

The social security system is characterized by the formation of trade unions according to the industrial-branch principle. The main and only participants in these funds were enterprises, institutions and organizations; therefore, social and insurance assistance was provided to citizens in a centralized manner and had a strictly targeted purpose. All members of trade unions (workers and employees) were entitled to pensions and free medical care being disabled in the event of injury and other illnesses. In kolkhozes, the peasants could not claim the state aid, they should have been paid the aid from the funds of the collective farms on the decision of the general meeting.

In the system of social security, public organizations were formed: disablement association (Ukoopinrada and Ukrinstrakhkasa), mutual aid funds (MAF), the Society of deaf people (UTOG) and the Society of blind people (UTOS). Social security bodies lacked funds; therefore, in general, the decrees remained declarative, since all payments were scanty, much lower than the subsistence level.

Keywords: social security, trade unions, mutual aid fund, members of kolgosp, pension, disablement