Carpatho-Ukraine must have been the shortest-lived state in history. It existed for a mere 24 hours, declaring its independence from Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939 and formally annexed by Hungary one day later. Predominantly inhabited by Ruthenians (Ukrainians), Subcarpathian Ruthenia (or Transcarpathia) came to be the very tail-end of the snake-like post-war construction known as Czechoslovakia after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918.
When in 1938 Nazi Germany annexed the Sudetenland parts in the west of the country, thus weakening the integrity of the Czechoslovak state, Transcarpathia (and Slovakia) demanded and got more autonomy. The region renamed itself Carpathian Ruthenia, and in november 1938 changed its name again into Carpatho-Ukraine.
In that same month, its southern part (and the southern third of Slovakia) were annexed by Hungary, an ally of Nazi Germany. This did not calm the Czechoslovak-Hungarian tensions: between November 2, 1938 and January 12, 1939, 22 border clashes ensued. These clashes, and the ineffectual response of the Czech-dominated state, further encouraged separatism in the Slovak and Ruthenian east of Czechoslovakia. Not satisfied with mere autonomy and encouraged by the Nazis, the Slovaks declared full independence on March 14, 1939. The next day, Hitler had his troops march into Bohemia and Moravia, being the Czech part of Czechoslovakia.
This left Carpatho-Ukraine no other option than to declare its own independence, which occurred on the 15th of March, 1939. First (and only) president of the ‘Republic of Carpatho-Ukraine’ was the reverend Avhustyn Voloshyn. The declaration of independence immediately plunged the new state into anarchy, as irregular troops staged terrorist attacks against the remnants of the Czech army, as well as against pro-Slovak and pro-Hungarian parts of the population.
This, and further border skirmishes, proved sufficient cause for Hungary to invade the region. This happened on the same day as the declaration of independence. One day later,
Hungary formally annexed the whole territory. On March 17, the Hungarian troops reached the Polish border. The last resistance was broken the next day.
In 1944, advancing Soviet troops refused Czechoslovak government officials to resume control over the area. In June 1945, a treaty between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union stipulated that the area was to become part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, under again another name: the Zakarpathia Oblast.
I’m not sure whether this Oblast corresponds entirely with the independent state of Carpatho-Ukraine, but it’ll be close. In any case, the Oblast’s surface is 12.777 km². In 2004, the Oblast numbered 1,25 million inhabitants. Up until 1993, there was talk of rejoining Czechoslovakia – an option rendered moot after the break-up of that country. This map was taken from the Wikipedia entry for Carpatho-Ukraine.
This is without a doubt one of the most interesting pages I’ve come across in years. Thank you, it’s wonderful!
Comment by Lyn — January 3, 2007 @
I’m an agent for London based literary agency. I have an idea for a book and am looking for an author with and an obsessive love of maps. I wonder if you might be interested in discussing it with me. Do get in touch if this interests you.
Comment by Julia — January 3, 2007 @
This sort of thing is like the world of Micronations, worlds that exist only in cyberspace or wish to calim some real-world land some day.
For these micronations, certain map-making organisations exist, which provide fictional land to the nations. Here is the link to one of the maps, the GSO:
http://www.geostandards.org/maps/political.png
http://www.geostandards.org/maps/topo.png
If you are interested about micronationalism in general, or want a bit more information, please contact me through either a Private Message on my website, or e-mail.
Thanks,
WIll Tomsett
Comment by Will Tomsett — January 3, 2007 @
Thank you!
The word “Oblast” means “area” or “region”.
Until the break-up, the name of the area in Czech was usually “Subcarpathian Ruthenia” (Podkarpatská Rus). After the Russians anexed it, the Czech predominantly pro-Russian and pro-socialist politicians started to name it “Transcarpathia” (Zakarpatská Ukrajina) immediately.
(Only four political parties were allowed, communists were the leading force and no anti-Russian power could be established.)
In the period of the 20’s and 30’s the area used to be called “The Czech Canada” because of its natural and rough character. Many officials (policemen, mailmen) were sent there for punishment in case of fraily…
Comment by Peter — January 3, 2007 @
Found this blog from the main wordpress page and wow what a great blog :) Keep up the awesome work, added you to my blog roll :)
Comment by Jonathan — January 5, 2007 @
[...] in a comment at Strange Maps, appropriately, is this map of micronations. Its purpose is not obvious to me, but [...]
Pingback by . . . muttered the ogre » an atlas of fantasy — January 10, 2007 @
[...] them, Hitler and Stalin brought about some drastic changes in national borders. Strange Maps rediscovers Carpatho-Ukraine, which became Europe’s shortest lived state in between being [...]
Pingback by Investigations of a Dog » The 46th History Carnival — January 14, 2007 @
I think it is worth a comment that this area was a regular part of Hungary (the Hungarian Kingdom)from the Hungarian state foundation (~1000) to 1919. This was the region where the hungarian tribes came from the east settled first in the 9th century. The name Carpatho-Ukraine never appeared before the early 20th century, and the area was never before an at least independent region, just a number of counties in NE Hungary - and still holds a significant native hungarian minority.
After the Trianon ‘Peace Treaty’ which chop up Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the newly formed Czechoslovakia owned the region. The official language became the Czech (what was a strange choice, because no czech and only sporadic slovakian population in this area…), not the local ukrainian dialect. After WW2, the Soviets retained the area which was no more than a strategic bridgehead to the Carpathian Basin and Central Europe for them, an entry across the Carpathians’ passes to the hungarian plain.
Worth to mention that this area was also a multi-ethnic land, besides the so-called ruthenian (western ukrainian) majority there were large number of Hungarian, Rumanian, German and fluorishing Jewish polulation. After ww2, a large portion of this minorities persecuted, deported, killed etc. along with the non-communist ruthenians.
Comment by tom — March 4, 2007 @
Hello,
This is an interesting blog, but I wish to make one correction. Ruthenians are known as Rusyns, and they are not Ukranian. They are a separate group of East Slavs like Russians, Ukranians, etc. Thanks!
Comment by Christine — April 3, 2007 @
Interesting comments.. :D
Comment by imparare — April 15, 2007 @
Interesting! I never knew about those talks of 1993…
Comment by Vlad — May 5, 2007 @
Beware the Ides of March!
Comment by qqqqssss — September 7, 2007 @
Christine wrote —
Ruthenians are known as Rusyns, and they are not Ukranian. They are a separate group of East Slavs like Russians, Ukranians, etc. Thanks!
“Ukrainian” has 2 i’s in it, not one.
As to “Rusyn”, the people of those parts may well call themselves that presently, and of course, everyone has the right to call themselves what they prefer.
However, it should be kept in mind that the ENTIRE area from the Baltic Sea, through Novgorod and Kyiv/Kiev, to somewhere near the Black Sea, was called (and called itself) Rus’, and if one was from Rus’, then one was a Rusyn, in the standard East Slavic way of forming nouns for people.
Ruthenians, who are they? Depends what you mean. This word is from Greek, and the Greeks of the Roman Empire (we in the west now call it the Byzantine Empire, but THEY did not!) called “Ruthenoi” some/many/all of the people north and east of their frontier, which was the Danube. It was a VERY generic term. As these peoples, over the last millenium, one by one, developed their own names for themselves, “Ruthenians” ended up being assigned to fewer and fewer people, essentially, to those who did not develop some other name for themselves.
It is my own, personal, view that the region in question, which comprises basically the Carpathian Mountain portions of present-day NE Slovakia, SE Poland, W/SW Ukraine, E Hungary, and N Romania, never had any single ethnicity; rather, that this is an area with an ethnolinguistic _spectrum_ as one travels from west to south-east, with each mountain valley having some noticeable difference, much as one could find in West Virginia (at least in pre-mass media days).
The various ruling powers (Poland-Lithuania, Poland, Austria-Hungary (each “half” of which administered its own portion of the region I describe above), Romania, Czechoslovakia, Slovakia, and Russia all had a “divide and conquer” policy to one degree or another with respect to their territories, with greater or lesser degrees of success in influencing the local population.
–
Mark D. Bej
bejm@eeg.ccf.org
Comment by Mark D. Bej — February 7, 2008 @
[...] A nation which existed for less than one day. [...]
Pingback by You Are Here. Friday Night Is There. | Popehat — February 8, 2008 @
Very stupid post… this state isnt worse such a discussion
Comment by Знаменка — February 19, 2008 @
It is always cool to find something obscure that you do not read about in history books. Thanks for the great post
Comment by Fahs — March 2, 2008 @
Hello! I am a writer doing research on Ol’ha Kobylianskia. She writes in her book (ON SUNDAY MORNING SHE GATHERED HERBS…)that the story takes place in the
Chabanytsia Mountains. This mountain range does not show up in any of my searches. Does anyone out there know which mountain range she is referring to? The names of the characters seem to be Ukrainian (Dub, Donchuk)See my website if you want to know more about me, or have more information re Gypsies. Thank you, Cora
http://www.coraschwartz.com
Comment by Cora Schwartz — March 23, 2008 @
Well, I’d like to say that your site is very interesting.
Hi,My name is Mary Morgan,my blog is here
Comment by Mary — June 10, 2008 @
Great ukrainian country! Now they live in Znamenka!
Comment by Знаменка — June 30, 2008 @
This is a wonderful site! Well written blog about a specific moment in the history of the Carpathian region.
Mr. Bej (#13), just because one group of people might share ethnolinguistic qualities with other neighboring peoples, does not mean they are therefore part of the latter. Carpatho-Rusyns have always seen themselves as distinct from Ukrainians. One only need to observe that Rusyns in Slovakia and Poland have always refused to be called Ukrainians, even thought the communists tried to place this label on them, because they are not. Ethnicity is not just derived from speech, but also religion, culture, customs & traditions, etc. My grandparents came from Transcarpathia in 1913 and they always identified themselves as Carpatho-Russian, but they never identified with the term Ukrainian. I’ve never heard a Ukrainian refer to themselves as a “Rusnak” the way Rusyns do.
Comment by Chris Bowman — August 21, 2008 @