Vojenské obsazení Podkarpatské Rusi Maďarským královstvím v březnu 1939 a jeho mezinárodněpolitické souvislosti
Military Occupation of Carpathian Ruthenia by Kingdom of Hungary in March 1939 in Context of International Politics

Summary/Abstract: The goal of the study is to describe in detail, based on military situation reports of Hungarian military headquarters, the military occupation of Carpathian Ruthenia by Hungarian forces in the latter half of March 1939 after declaration of Slovakian independence. The paper will discuss the topic in context of international politics: besides a detailed description of military advance in Ruthenia by Hungarian forces, which will be the core of the paper, it will also deal in complexity with the efforts of Budapest to annex the whole territory of Carpathian Ruthenia to Hungary, a part of which had already been annexed to Hungary as a result of First Vienna Arbitration in November 1938. Carpathian Ruthenia, from its separation from Hungary by Paris Peace Treaty after WWI, was one of main goal of Hungarian revisionist policy that sought to gain back former Hungarian territories that were awarded to neighbouring states as a result of Paris Peace Treaties. Carpathian Ruthenia came to orbit of Hungarian foreign policy as a consequence of Germany’s revisionist successes in 1938, however, Poland and Romania had their interests in the region as well. As a matter of fact, the fate of the eastern Czechoslovak region depended on the Berlin’s decision, no state could push its interests through without German approval. Hungary tried to enforce its claims with a secret support from Rome, yet in vain. After disintegration of Czech-Slovak Republic and declaration of Slovakian State under the protection of Germany on March, 14, 1939 the existence of Carpathian Ruthenia (or Carpathian Ukraine as it was referred to as) became impossible. Political representatives of the region reacted to the course of events and declared a separate Carpathian state, Berlin, however, refused to acknowledge this step and to take the state under its protection. In the framework of geopolitical goals of Third Reich in Central Europe Budapest was notified by Berlin to deal with Carpathian issue on its own: On March, 15, 1939, Hungary initiated a military occupation of Carpathian Ruthenia, which was completed by March, 18, and reported to Berlin. The occupation of Carpathian Ruthenia by Hungarian forces was successful, although the military advance to Polish borderline was far from being swift and easy and the whole campaign cost tens of victims in Hungarian Army in subsequent local military clashes with Czechoslovak units and militants from Ukrainian nationalist organisation Carpathian Sich, which, after declaration of independent Carpathian Ukraine became its official army. Another revision of borderline by Trianon treaty took place in the “small” or “forgotten war” when Hungary successfully pushed western Carpathian borders with Slovakia.

• Details
• Contents