John Kolasky | |
|---|---|
Іван Коляска | |
| Born | John Koliaska (1915-10-05)October 5, 1915 Cobalt, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | October 20, 1997(1997-10-20) (aged 82) |
| Alma mater | |
| Political party | Communist Party of Canada (before 1970) |
| Other political affiliations | Ukrainian Republican Party |
John Kolasky (Ukrainian:Іван Васильович Коляска,romanized: Ivan Vasyliovych Koliaska; October 5, 1915 – October 20, 1997) was a Canadian-Ukrainian historian and activist. A member of theCommunist Party of Canada early in his political career, Kolasky became disillusioned with communism after witnessing repressions of Ukrainians by the Soviet government, and subsequently became an anti-communist activist and supporter of UkrainianSoviet dissidents in Canada.
John Koliaska was born on October 5, 1915, in the town ofCobalt, Ontario to aUkrainian Canadian family fromBukovina. His parents were both members of theUkrainian Labour Farmer Temple Association, and he grew up on a farm near the city ofTimmins,[1] where his surname wasPolonised to Kolasky.[2] Following the beginning of theGreat Depression Kolasky left home and worked various jobs in Timmins,Ottawa, andWinnipeg. His experience with the Great Depression radicalised him into Marxist ideals, and he became a member of theCommunist Party of Canada (CPC).[1]
In 1944 Kolasky began studying at theUniversity of Saskatchewan as a historian,[3] graduating in 1948. He also graduated from theUniversity of Toronto in 1950.[4] Over the next decade he became a prominent figure in the CPC, and he was sent to theHigher Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine [uk] in 1963 by the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians (the successor to the Ukrainian Labour Farmer Temple Association).[1]
In Ukraine Kolasky experienced firsthand theRussification of Ukraine occurring under the Soviet government. He began disseminatingsamizdat regarding Russification, and was arrested in 1965 before being deported back to Canada.[4] Following his return, Kolasky publishedEducation in Soviet Ukraine in 1968 andTwo Years in Soviet Ukraine: A Canadian's Personal Account of Russian Oppression and the Growing Opposition in 1970, both of which discussed Russification and the growing movement ofSoviet dissidents in Ukraine. Following the publication of these books, Kolasky was expelled from the AUUC and the CPC. Kolasky became a speaker for events throughout Canada. He continued to publish literature about the Russification of Ukraine, including a translation ofValentyn Moroz'sReport from the Beria Reserve in 1974.[3]
Kolasky was a supporter of theUkrainian Helsinki Group and, later, theUkrainian Republican Party. Following the1989–1991 Ukrainian revolution he emigrated to Ukraine[4] and lived withLevko Lukianenko.[3] He died in the village ofKhotiv[4] or in the Ukrainian capital ofKyiv[3] on October 20, 1997.[1]
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