The Hutsul Republic ( uk, Гуцульська Республіка) was a short-lived state formed in the aftermath of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The republic was declared on 8 January 1919, when original plans to unite this area with the

Western Ukrainian People's Republic The West Ukrainian People's Republic (WUPR) or West Ukrainian National Republic (WUNR), known for part of its existence as the Western Oblast of the Ukrainian People's Republic, was a short-lived polity that controlled most of Eastern Gali ...

failed and the territory was occupied by Hungarian police. First Czechoslovak Republic

The

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

of the Hutsul Republic was the "Ukrainian People's Council" with 42 members, and its

executive power The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems b ...

(government) was the "Council" with 12 members.

Creation

On 20–22 December 1918 Hungarian troops returned to the territory of the Hutsul Republic. A state of emergency was proclaimed, the Hutsul militia units disarmed, the Ukrainian People's Council was liquidated, the

Hungarian language Hungarian () is an Uralic language spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary, it is also spoken by Hungarian ...

was restored in school and in government communication, and former Hungarian officials were appointed to all posts of the local government. On the night of 7–8 January 1919 the local population of Rahó (

Rakhiv Rakhiv ( uk, Рахів, ; yi, ראַכעוו, hu, Rahó, ro, Rahău, rue, Рахово; see below) is a city located in Zakarpattia Oblast (province) in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Rakhiv Raion (district). Population: ...

) rose against the Hungarian gendarme battalion, taking into custody some 500 Hungarian policemen. General Stepan Klochurak was elected prime minister of the republic. He was also active in organizing the armed forces of the republic, which consisted of nearly 1,000 soldiers On 17 January 1919 the army waged a brief confrontation against the occupying Romanian troops in Máramarossziget (

Sighetu Marmației Sighetu Marmației (, also spelled ''Sighetul Marmației''; german: Marmaroschsiget or ''Siget''; hu, Máramarossziget, ; uk, Сигіт, Syhit; yi, סיגעט, Siget), until 1960 Sighet, is a city (municipality) in Maramureș County near the ...

), in the adjacent lands of Máramaros County. This unequal battle resulted in the Hutsul Republic suffering, according to various data, 18 to 41 people killed, 39 to 150 people wounded, and 400 people taken prisoner including 20 officers. The day after the "

Unification Act The Unification Act ( uk, Акт Злуки, translit=Akt Zluky, , "Act Zluky" or uk, Велика Злука, translit=Velyka Zluka, label=none, ) was an agreement signed on 22 January 1919, by the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukr ...

" was signed on 23 January 1919 by the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...

and the

West Ukrainian People's Republic The West Ukrainian People's Republic (WUPR) or West Ukrainian National Republic (WUNR), known for part of its existence as the Western Oblast of the Ukrainian People's Republic, was a short-lived polity that controlled most of Eastern Gali ...

Stepan Klochurak and Julian Braschaiko joined the "Labor Congress" of this new entity as representatives of the Hutsul Republic. By the end of April 1919, the eastern part of Transcarpathia was occupied by Romanian troops, the central part was under the control of the Hungarians, while Czechoslovakian troops occupied its western part. In April 1919 most of

Carpathian Ruthenia Carpathian Ruthenia ( rue, Карпатьска Русь, Karpat'ska Rus'; uk, Закарпаття, Zakarpattia; sk, Podkarpatská Rus; hu, Kárpátalja; ro, Transcarpatia; pl, Zakarpacie); cz, Podkarpatská Rus; german: Karpatenukrai ...

joined

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

granted as an autonomous territory, while its easternmost territory (Hutsul Republic) was ''de facto'' a breakaway state.

Hungarian invasion

The state finally failed when it was occupied temporarily by Hungarian troops on 11 June 1919. The territory claimed by this state accepted the admission into the

First Czechoslovak Republic The First Czechoslovak Republic ( cs, První československá republika, sk, Prvá česko-slovenská republika), often colloquially referred to as the First Republic ( cs, První republika, Slovak: ''Prvá republika''), was the first Czechoslo ...

in September 1919, where it remained during the interwar period. On 15 March 1939, just for a day, after its proclamation the Ukrainian state named

Carpatho-Ukraine Carpatho-Ukraine or Carpathian Ukraine ( uk, Карпа́тська Украї́на, Karpats’ka Ukrayina, ) was an autonomous region within the Second Czechoslovak Republic, created in December 1938 by renaming Subcarpathian Rus' whose full ...

claimed its independence but was soon occupied by Hungarian troops and was annexed by

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

until the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. After the war, the region became the Carpathian Oblast of the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

, as part of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

References

{{coord missing, Ukraine States and territories disestablished in 1919 States and territories established in 1919 Political history of Ukraine Former Slavic countries West Ukrainian People's Republic Hutsuls Zakarpattia Oblast History of Maramureș 1919-01-08