Despite the devastation of Ukraine upon its liberation from German occupation by 1944, the country’s political leaders were greatly optimistic about the prospect of rebuilding it. Raion leaders from Kyiv Oblast took turns at this plenum proclaiming how enthusiastic kolkhozniki were about the return of Soviet power and their commitment to working hard to supply the Red Army with food to aid in the final defeat of the German enemy. They supplemented their speeches with colourful examples of kolkhozniki spontaneously swearing oaths to Soviet power and to Stalin personally, just like their forebears had done to the tsars.