Posted by Observer on May 15, 2002 at 23:22:25:
In Reply to: ÝÍÖÈÊËÎÏÅÄÈß ÏÎÄÊÀÐÏÀÒÑÊÎÉ ÐÓÑÈ posted by ÑÊèô on May 13, 2002 at 07:42:28:
...Despite the difficult political climate [including severe Russian interference] which the city developed, or perhaps because of it, Uzhgorod became the cultural and religious center of Carpathian Ukraine...
The political profile of Uzhgorod has been dynamic, spurred by the forces of geopolitics. At the end of the 17th century, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy honored the city by granting it "Favored City" status. Influential figures in the religious community as well as political and public leaders, several aristocrats among them, played host to ambassadors of Peter the Great and Bohdan Khmelnytsky. In the modern era, specifically, the 1920's, Uzhgorod provided the backdrop for local officials to hand over the national blue and yellow flag to American Rusyns, former countrymen. In 1934, the All-Enlightenment Congress convened here after fruitless resistance to the yoke of Czech rule. Pro-Ukrainians and Russophiles united to send an ultimatum to Prague. The move proved successful, and the region soon received autonomy. Although Uzhgorod was eventually given to Hungary as a result of the Viennese Arbitration, as of 1938, inhabitants continued to celebrate autonomy and organize their government which was led by Augustin Voloshyn. On October 25, 1938, Prague issued a directive dissolving all political parties throughout the country. The Carpatho-Ukrainian government, however, did not carry out the directive until January 20, 1939. Elections for the Senate of the Carpatho-Ukrainian state had shown that 92.4 % of the electorate (out of the 92.5 % which voted) supported the UPR (Ukrainian People's Union). This was an open declaration by the people that the region was a part of Ukraine. It was at this time that discussion of land ownership along ethnic lines ceased. In March, 1939, the Carpathian Sich engaged in one of the earliest battles of World War II, a sign of its commitment to the freedom of Ukraine....
Uzhgorod is a city with an eclectic history, at a crossroads of cultures and nations. For centuries, it has shouldered the burden of being situated on the frontier, acting for the good of the state despite geographical, historical, and cultural barriers. It stands as the stalwart of Carpathian Ukraine, surviving foreign rule, persevering to protect the ethnic and cultural identity of independent Ukraine...
Romyr Report Winter 2000 #5