Soviet annexation of Transcarpathia

At the beginning of the 20th century, the population of the mountainous, economically underdeveloped region known as Carpathian Ruthenia consisted mainly of Ruthenians and Hungarians.

Historically it was one of the Lands of the Hungarian Crown before it was detached from the Kingdom of Hungary and attached to the newly created Czechoslovakia in 1918, following the disintegration of Austria-Hungary as a result of World War I.

When Czechoslovakia came under pressure from Nazi Germany during the Sudeten crisis, nationalists of all stripes seized the opportunity and, beginning in the spring of 1938,[1] attempted to impose full autonomy for Carpatho-Ukraine within the Czechoslovak Republic.

In the dispute between the various ethnic groups, the "Ukrainophiles" now prevailed in Carpathian Ruthenia, who increasingly favored the option of annexation to an independent Ukraine.

[3] The region remained under Hungarian control until the end of World War II in Europe, after which it was occupied by the Soviet Union.

On May 8, 1944, Beneš and Soviet dictator Josef Stalin signed a treaty of alliance that guaranteed that the territory of Czechoslovakia would be liberated by the Red Army and returned to Czechoslovak civilian control.

[5] According to the Soviet–Czechoslovak treaty, it was agreed that once any liberated territory of Czechoslovakia ceased to be a combat zone of the Red Army, those lands would be transferred to full control of the Czechoslovak state.

[5] Furthermore, the delegation had to win the support of the population to remain with Czechoslovakia, because the loyalty of Carpathian Ruthenia to a new Czechoslovak state was weak as a result of World War II.

[6] On November 26, 1944, the first meeting of the newly elected People's Committee, organized by representatives of the Communist Party of Carpathian Ruthenia, was held in Mukachevo.

After two months of conflicts and negotiations the Czechoslovak government delegation departed from Khust on February 1, 1945, leaving Carpathian Ruthenia under Soviet control.