Kingdom of Romania
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 History of Romania | |
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| Dacia | |
| The Middle Ages | |
| National awakening | |
| Kingdom of Romania | |
| World War II | |
| Communist Romania | |
| Romania since 1989 | |
From 1859 to 1877, Romania evolved from a "personal union" of two vassal principalities (Moldavia and Wallachia) under a single prince to a full-fledged independent kingdom with a Hohenzollern monarchy. In 1918, at the end of World War I, Transylvania, and Eastern Moldavia (Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina) united with the Kingdom of Romania, resulting in a "Greater Romania". In 1940, at the beginning of World War II, Northern Transylvania, Basarabia and Cadrilater were ceded to Hungary, Soviet Union and Bulgaria respectively, only Northern Transylvania being recovered after the WW II ended. In 1947 the Monarchy was replaced by a Communist Regime.
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Unification and monarchy
The 1859 ascendancy of Alexander John Cuza as prince of both Moldavia and Wallachia under the nominal suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire united an identifiably Romanian nation under a single ruler. On February 5, 1862 (January 24 Old Style) the two principalities were formally united to form Romania, with Bucharest as its capital.
On February 23, 1866 a so-called Monstrous coalition, composed of Conservatives and radical Liberals, forced Cuza to abdicate. The German prince Carol (Charles) of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen was appointed as Prince of Romania, in a move to assure German backing to unity and future independence. His descendants were to rule as the kings of Romania until the rise of the communists in 1947.
In 1877, following a Russian-Romanian-Turkish war, Romania was recognized independent by Treaty of Berlin, 1878, acquired Dobruja, though, she was forced to surrender southern Bessarabia to Russia. Charles was crowned as Carol, the first King of Romania, in 1881.
The new state, squeezed between the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian empires, with Slavic neighbors on three sides, looked to the West, particularly France, for its cultural, educational and administrative models.
In 1916 Romania entered World War I on the Entente side. Although the Romanian forces did not fare well militarily, by the end of the war the Austrian and Russian empires were gone; governing bodies created in Transylvania, Bessarabia and Bukovina chose union with Romania, upheld in 1920 by the Treaty of Trianon.
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Kingdom of Romania, 1920-1940 |
Timeline
| 1859 | Alexander John Cuza unites Moldavia and Wallachia under his personal rule. |
| 1862 | Formal union of Moldavia and Wallachia to form principality of Romania. |
| 1866 | Cuza forced to abdicate and a foreign dynasty is established. Carol I signed the first modern Constitution. |
| 1877 | (16 April) Treaty by which the Russian troops are allowed to pass through Romanian territory
(24 April) Russia declares war to the Ottoman Empire and its troops enter Romania |
| 1878 | Under Treaty of Berlin, Ottoman Empire recognizes Romanian independence. Romania ceded southern Bessarabia to Russia. |
| 1881 | Carol I was proclaimed King of Romania on March 26. |
| 1894 | Leaders of the Transylvanian Romanians who sent a Memorandum to the Austrian Emperor demanding national rights for the Romanians are found guilty of treason. |
| 1907 | Violent peasant revolts crushed throughout Romania, thousands of persons killed. |
| 1914 | Death of Carol I, succeeded by his nephew Ferdinand. |
| 1916 | (August) Romania enters World War I on the Entente side. (December)Romanian Treasure sent to Russia for safekeeping, but was not returned after the war. |
| 1918 | "Greater Romania." |
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The interbellum years
The resulting "Greater Romania", did not survive World War II. Most of Romania's pre-World War II governments maintained the form, but not the substance, of a liberal constitutional monarchy. The National Liberal Party, dominant in the years immediately after WWI, became increasingly clientelist and nationalist, and in 1927 was supplanted in power by the National Peasant Party. Between 1930 and 1940 there were over 25 separate governments.
The 1929 crisis greatly affected Romania and the early 1930s were marked by social unrest, high unemployment, and strikes. In several instances, the Romanian government violently repressed strikes and riots, notably the 1929 miners' strike in Valea Jiului and the strike in the Griviţa railroad workshops.
In the mid-1930s, the Romanian economy recovered and the industry grew significantly, although about 80% of Romanians were still employed in agriculture.
The 1930s saw the rise of a number of ultra-nationalist parties, notably the fascist Iron Guard movement, exploiting nationalism, fear of communism, and resentment of alleged foreign and Jewish domination of the economy. On February 10, 1938, in order to prevent the formation of a government that would have included Iron Guard ministers, and in direct confrontation to Adolf Hitler's expressed support of the Iron Guard, King Carol II dismissed the government and instituted a short-lived royal dictatorship. (These events are further detailed in the article Romania during World War II.)
In 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which stipulated, among other things, the Soviet "interest" in Bessarabia.
Timeline
| 1918 | "Greater Romania." By the Treaty of Versailles, Romania agreed to grant citizenship to the former citizens of Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires living in the new Romanian territories. |
| 1919 | A military conflict occurs between Romania and Hungarian Soviet led by Bela Kun. The Romanian Army takes over Budapest on August 4, 1919. The city is ruled by a military administration until November 16, 1919. |
| 1920 | Treaty of Trianon upholds Romanian unification. |
| 1921 | A major and radical agrarian reform |
| 1923 | The 1923 Constitution is adopted based on a National Liberal Party project. Christian National Defense League (LANC) founded. |
| 1924 | LANC member (later Iron Guard founder) C.Z. Codreanu assassinates Prefect of Police in Iaşi, but is acquitted. |
| 1926 | Liberal Electoral Law adopted. "Little Entente" with Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia and Franco-Romanian Treaty. |
| 1927 | National Peasant Party takes over government from National Liberal Party. Legion of the Archangel Michael, later Iron Guard, splits off from LANC. |
| 1929 | Beginning of the Great Depression. |
| 1930 | Carol II crowned King. |
| 1931 | First ban on Iron Guard. |
| 1933 | (February 16) Griviţa Railcar Workshops strike violently put down by police. (December 10) Prime Minister Ion Duca "dissolves" the Iron Guard, arresting thousands; 19 days later he is assassinated by Iron Guard legionnaires. |
| 1935 | LANC and National Agrarian Party merge to form the fascist National Christian Party (NCP). |
| 1937 | Electoral "non-aggression pact" between National Peasant Party and Iron Guard, later adding the Agrarian Union. Romanian Communist Party denounces pact, but, in practice, supports the National-Peasants. LANC forms government, but is rapidly in conflict with Carol II over his Jewish mistress. |
| 1938 | (February 10) Royal dictatorship declared. New constitution adopted February 27. (November 29-30) Iron Guard leader Codreanu and other legionnaires shot on the king's orders. |
| 1939 | (March 7) Armand Călinescu forms government. Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact stipulates Soviet "interest" in Bessarabia. |