The Magyar Autonomous Region (1952–1960) (; ) and Mureș-Magyar Autonomous Region (1960–1968) were autonomous regions in the Romanian People's Republic (later the Socialist Republic of Romania).

History

One of the key factors behind the autonomous region was the desire of the communist Romanian government to win over the Hungarian population in Transylvania. Support for the Romanian Communist Party was very strong in ethnically Hungarian areas, and Hungarian communists made up 26% of all communists in Romania before World War II. Following the Hungarian rule of Northern Transylvania during World War II, ethnic Hungarians now made up 10% of Romanian population, and the communist government adopted a policy of appeasement towards the Hungarian minority; this was a pragmatic stance as in contrast to largely pro-socialist Hungarians in Romania, ethnic Romanians were unsupportive of the Communist Party and the communist base there was weak. the number of regions was reduced and by comprising ten raions from the former Mureș Region and from the Stalin Region (both of them created in 1950), of the territory inhabited by a compact population of Székely Hungarians, a new region called the Magyar Autonomous Region was created. According to the 1956 census, the total population of the region was 731,361, distributed among the ethnic groups as follows: Hungarians (77.3%), Romanians (20.1%), Roma (1.5%), Germans (0.4%) and Jews (0.4%). The official languages of the province were Hungarian and Romanian and the provincial administrative centre was Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely). The Magyar Autonomous Region comprised 9 raions: Ciuc, Gheorgheni, Odorhei, Reghin, Sângeorgiu de Pădure, Sfântu Gheorghe, Târgu Mureș, Târgu Secuiesc, and Toplița.

Its status laid out in the 1952 Constitution, the region encompassed about a third of Romania's Hungarians, the rest living either in more Romanian areas or along the border with Hungary, where an ethnic-based region might have stoked fears of irredentism and security concerns.

The creation of the autonomous region, although it had practically no autonomy, shocked Romanian political circles because of the widespread anti-Hungarian sentiment. Many Romanian politicians condemned the autonomy and claimed that Hungary could annex the region. The autonomous region also triggered a reaction from other minorities - Germans and Jews living in Romania also began to apply for their own autonomous regions, and such applications were discussed at party meetings. or Mureș-Hungarian Autonomous Region

References

; Maps

  • Republica Populară Română, Structura Administrativ-Teritorală (1952) ("Romanian People's Republic, Administrative-Territorial Structure (1952)"), a map showing the Magyar Autonomous Region ("Regiunea Autonomă Maghiara").