The Occupation Policy of the Russian Empire in Bukovyna During 1916–1917: Repressions, Mobilization and Control
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/hj2025.61.48-57Keywords:
World War I, russian occupation, Bukovyna, mobilization, repression, requisitions, regimeAbstract
This study examines the socio-economic and humanitarian impact of World War I on the population of Bukovyna during its occupation by Austro-Hungarian and Russian forces. As the frontlines shifted, each new administration imposed harsh repressive measures, including mass arrests and deportations, often targeting those suspected of sympathizing with previous regimes. The prison system became overloaded, and detainees were either sent to concentration camps or deported deep into the Russian Empire. The local population endured systematic requisitions of food, livestock, and raw materials under the pretext of military necessity, without compensation, leading to widespread impoverishment and social dislocation.
The Russian occupation, in particular, pursued a policy of «self-sustainment» of the army at the expense of the local economy, including the forced signing of fixed-price procurement agreements. These measures severely disrupted agricultural life, as men were mobilized or forced into labour duties, leaving women, children, and the elderly to maintain farms under dire conditions. Infrastructure was plundered, factories dismantled, and railways destroyed, following a scorched-earth strategy. Food shortages escalated into famine, while forced labour, war loans, and ethnic targeting particularly of Jewish communities-further destabilized Bukovyna’s social fabric.
Based on archival documents, official reports, and eyewitness accounts, this paper reconstructs the collapse of civil life in Bukovyna as a result of imperial warfare and occupation policies. It highlights the region’s transformation into a space of systemic exploitation, repression, and humanitarian disaster, underscoring the broader consequences of total war on peripheral imperial territories.
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