tagköztársaság

Tagköztársaság is a Hungarian term that translates to "member republic" or "constituent republic". It refers to a subdivision of a federal state that has a significant degree of autonomy and is considered a republic in its own right. Historically, this concept has been most prominently associated with the Soviet Union, where the constituent republics were formally recognized as sovereign socialist republics, although in practice their sovereignty was limited by the central government in Moscow. The Hungarian People's Republic, for instance, was a socialist state that comprised several such republics, though the term is not exclusive to Soviet-style federations. The idea behind a tagköztársaság is to grant a degree of self-governance to distinct ethnic or geographical regions within a larger union, while still maintaining a unified federal structure. The specific powers and responsibilities of a tagköztársaság can vary widely depending on the constitution of the federal state. They typically involve control over their own internal affairs, including legislation, administration, and sometimes even foreign relations to a limited extent, within the framework of the overarching federal law.