THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SOVIET SYSTEM IN THE TERRITORY OF TRANSCARPATHIA (1944–1946)

Abstract

As noted, Transcarpathia is an administrative-territorial unit created in historical Hungary in 1919, consisting of Uzhan, Berez, Ugochan, and Maramoros counties. In the first half of the 20th century, it was part of several states: in 1919, it became part of Czechoslovakia; in 1938–1939, it returned to Hungary, and in the fall of 1944, after the Soviet occupation, it was incorporated by the Soviet Union. The authors investigated that frequent changes of power due to the peripherality of the region took place without considering the local population's opinion – as a result of the political decisions of the great states, so Transcarpathians always had to adapt to new political systems. Among the historical twists of fate for the residents, joining the Soviet Union had the most tragic consequences: until 1944, the region was a part of Central Europe, in particular the Carpathian Basin, in the social, economic, and cultural sense, but after, it became part of a dictatorial empire based on a class approach and social injustice. It was analyzed and concluded that the incorporation of Transcarpathia, with a total area of 20,000 km2, was of geostrategic importance for the Soviet authorities since, due to its geographical location, it bordered several states that were part of the Soviet bloc, and railway routes ran through it, which simplified the logistics of the USSR with them. The incorporation of the region by the Soviet Union was not legitimate at all, but the almighty Soviet leader Stalin, who influenced the politics of states in this part of Europe, made sure to maintain the appearance of legitimacy during the occupation and subsequent annexation. As a result of the political regime change, a new administrative system was implemented, the names of settlements were revised, and the ethnic composition of the region also changed. As an undoubted fact stated that for various ethnic groups living in Transcarpathia, the Soviet annexation brought a series of individual and mass tragedies, as the change of power meant not only the onset of lawlessness but also ethnic cleansing and physical destruction for tens of thousands of people.