Historical Episodes of the Repatriation of Former Citizens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the Volga Region and Siberia in the 1920s

Abstract

Introduction. The subject of this study is the organization of the repatriation process of former prisoners of war of the Austro-Hungarian and German armies from the regions of Siberia and the Volga region. Methods and materials. The methodological basis of this work consists of such basic principles of scientific and historical knowledge as objectivity and historicism, systematic and specific presentation of the material, as well as the value approach used in scientific research. The historical sources are theoretical scientific works of European and Russian scientists concerning various aspects of the history of prisoners of war in Russia. Analysis. The author explores the issues related to the return to the historical homeland mainly of the Czechs and Slovaks, however, due to the peculiarities of the archival documents that have been preserved, there is information about Austrians, Germans, Hungarians and representatives of other nationalities. The author establishes some personal data of citizens of foreign countries who lived in the territory of Tsaritsyn and Tobolsk provinces in the early 1920s, who had the desire to go to their historic homeland. In addition, on the basis of circulars and orders of the relevant authorities (Plenbezh, evacuation services), the author analyzes how the process of sending home Czechs, Slovaks, Hungarians, etc. was organized. In addition, there is information about how the process of registration of foreign subjects of the near and far abroad took place. The author makes an attempt to provide informative data on the life and activities of former citizens of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, their ethnicity, family status, professional employment, circumstances of arrival in Russia, previous residence at home and the actual address of residence in the region. Results. The process of repatriation of former prisoners of war of the Austro-Hungarian and German empires was delayed until 1924. It should also be noted that a certain percentage of these citizens remained in the new Soviet state. The difficulty in the process of returning to their historic homeland was the general confusion caused by the war and the change of the government, poor registration of prisoners of war, as well as the interest of state bodies in using this category of people as labor force in country’s industrial and agricultural enterprises.