Financial sovereignty of autonomous territories in 20th century Central and Eastern Europe
| Autor | Patryk Kowalski, Monika Bogucka-Felczak |
| Cargo | University of Lodz/University of Lodz |
| Páginas | 294-323 |
Historia Constitucional
ISSN 1576-4729, n. 23, 2022. http://www.historiaconstitucional.com, págs. 294-323
FINANCIAL SOVEREIGNTY OF AUTONOMOUS
TERRITORIES IN 20TH CENTURY CENTRAL AND
EASTERN EUROPE
Monika Bogucka-Felczak
Patryk Kowalski
University of Lodz (Poland)
SUMMARY: I. INTRODUCTION.- II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.- 2.1. Subject of
research.- 2.2. Research goals, problem, hypothesis and methods.- III. PROPER
RESEARCH.- 3.1. Silesian Voivodeship 1920-1939.- 3.1.1. State system.- 3.1.2.
Financial sovereignty.- 3.2. Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia (1918-1939).- 3.2.1.
State system.- 3.2.2. Financial sovereignty.- IV. SYNTHETIC STATEMENT OF THE
RESULTS.- V. SUMMARY.-
Abstract: This article presents the results of comparative legal research
concerning the scope of nancial sovereignty granted to the autonomous
territories of the 20th century Central and Eastern Europe (Silesian Voivodeship,
Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia) by the Second Polish Republic (1918-1939),
the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918-1938) and the Second Czecho-Slovak
Republic (1938-1939). Research material includes: selected constitutional and
public nancial legal acts of the aforementioned countries for years 1918-1939,
as well as English, Polish, Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian scientic publications
in the eld of legal, historical and economic sciences pertaining to this matter.
The main research result is that the scope of nancial power granted to the
Silesian Voivodeship by the Second Polish Republic was wider than in the other
two autonomous territories. Moreover, Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia can be
described as apparent autonomies.
Keywords: autonomous territory, territorial autonomy, nancial sovereignty,
Silesian Voivodeship, Slovakia, Carpathian Ruthenia.
I. INTRODUCTION
In nineteenth-century Europe, a process of national consciousness shaping
and related political movements began, which resulted in the emergence of national
separatism. Its primary goal was for individual nations that sought to create
their own and independent states, to gain independence. Curbed by the Second
World War, this separatism was revived in the 1960s in Western Europe, and
has intensied in recent years. The reason for this state of affairs, apart from the
economic crisis, is dissatisfaction with the observance of the rights of the peoples
of tittle states and a disregard for needs ethnic minorities living in them. Therefore,
one can observe an increase in activity throughout Europe to create autonomy and
deepen decentralization of the state, including even aspirations for independence.
Monika Bogucka-Felczak y Patryk Kowalski
295
Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that the territorial boundaries will change in the
near future.1
Due to this impasse, this issue arouses not only political and journalistic, but
also scientic interest. A little on the sidelines of the mainstream considerations
on territorial autonomy analyzed (especially by the media) from the systemic,
economic and cultural point of view, there are legal and public nancial issues. This
is an oversight because public nance is a kind of “nervous system of the entire
state”.2 This branch of law deals with the process of accumulation and distribution
monetary resources and its malfunctioning, has a potential to destabilize the nation.
Therefore, there is no doubt that there is a need to conduct research combining the
issues of territorial autonomy with legal and nancial issues. 3
Despite the literature devoted to autonomous territories being diverse, the
issue of nancial sovereignty granted to them has not been the subject of much
academic interest thus far.
Publications on autonomous territories can be divided into two types. Those that
develop the very concept of territorial autonomy, and those that discuss examples of
them. The Polish-language agship example undoubtedly includes a three-volume
collection of articles by various authors entitled Autonomia terytorialna w perspektywie
europejskiej. Tom I. Teoria – Historia, Małgorzata Domagała, Jan Iwanek (edit.), Toruń
2014; Autonomia terytorialna w perspektywie europejskiej. Tom II. W europejskiej
praktyce ustrojowej, Jan Iwanek and Robert Radek (edit.), Toruń 2014; Autonomia
terytorialna w perspektywie europejskiej. Tom III. Regionalne i lokalny partie polityczne
i systemy partyjne, Jan Iwanek and Waldemar Wojtasik (edit.), Toruń 2014. These
volumes deal with the problem of territorial autonomies in a multifaceted way, mainly
from the point of view of political science, sociology and history. Another study of
a similar nature that requires special emphasis is the collection of articles edited
by Małgorzata Rączkiewicz, Państwo w państwie. Terytoria autonomiczne, państwa
nieuznawane oraz ruchy separatystyczne w przestrzeni międzynarodowej, Łódź
2015. The political and historical aspects of territorial autonomy are also discussed
in the following articles: Katarzyna Baraniak, „Terytorium, autonomia terytorialna i
zwierzchnictwo terytorialne w naukach politycznych”, Zeszyty Naukowe Państwowej
Wyższej Szkoły Zawodowej im. Witelona w Legnicy, nº 22, 2017, pp. 171-183; Tomasz
Brańka, „Treść i zakres pojęcia autonomia„. Wyzwania denicyjne, Acta Politica
Polonica, nº 45, 2018, pp. 5–17; Jan Iwanek, „Współczesne rozumienie autonomii
terytorialnej” en Joachim Liszka (edit), Społeczeństwo wobec problemów transformacji
i integracji, Ustroń 2000; Jan Iwanek, „Europejskie standardy ustrojowe: samorząd,
autonomia, federalizm” en Piotr Dobrowolski, Mieczysław Stolarczyk (edit), Proces
integracji Polski z Unią Europejską, Katowice 2001.
1 See Monika Topczewska, “Separatyzmy narodowe w Europie Zachodniej”, Studia Europejskie,
nº 1, 2001, p. 101 et seq.
2 Teresa Dębowska-Romanowska, Prawo nansowe. Część konstytucyjna wraz z częścią ogóln,
Warszawa 2010, p. 3.
3 Teresa Dębowska-Romanowska, Prawo nansowe. Część konstytucyjna wraz z częścią ogólną,
op. cit., p. 3.
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