It is used mainly in the context of European history pertaining to the 20th-century wars and the ensuing period of annexations. Galicia (Eastern Europe) and the Carpathian Ruthenia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before its collapse after World War I. At the onset of World War II the part of Polish territory was incorporated into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (УРСР), following elections held on October 22, 1939, and the Carpathian Ruthenia (today Zakarpattia) after World War II. Its historical background makes Western Ukraine uniquely different from the rest of the country, and contributes to its distinctive character today.