From a multi-ethnic empire to a national state: the contribution of Romanian officers in the Habsburg army to the creation of Greater Romania as presented by Transylvanian journalists

Abstract

Greater Romania was created at the end of World War I as a result of both top-down and bottom-up processes that involved all social layers from Transylvania and the Old Kingdom. The present study focuses on a particular category of actors that took part in the Great Union of 1 December 1918, namely Romanian officers from the Austrian army, and on a specific set of sources, i.e. Transylvanian periodicals issued around this date. In order to answer a number of research questions centered on Romanian officers’ contribution to the historical act that took place in Alba Iulia, I used articles that appeared throughout 1918 in four Transylvanian periodicals, namely Biserica și Școala, Drapelul, Transilvania and Unirea. The study’s chief aim is to provide a clear picture of the manner in which Romanian officers from the Austrian army were depicted by the press shortly before and after Transylvania’s union with Romania was proclaimed, as well as of the nature of their participation in the events: as delegates of the National Guards or as agents whose goal was to ensure order during the meeting.