German Foreign Policy towards the Romanian Oil during 1938-1940

Abstract

During the two world wars, oil had a vital role for belligerent states. During the inter-war period, oil became very important under the circumstances created by army motorization processes and by the spectacular increase of military troops. The strategic importance of oil reserves increased after 1938, under the increasing risk of yet another world war. The dependence of the great powers on oil imports forced them to elaborate supply strategies with this vital raw material for the war economy. Based on data from archives, memoirs and works about the role of oil during World War II, the study analyzes Germany's strategy to ensure the import of Romanian oil, which was needed in its war economy. At the same time, the study aims at bringing new information to answer a series of questions that are still debated on within the history of World War II. First: why did Germany not use military force to strategically exploit Romanian oil, as it did on other occasions? Second: how important was Hitler's Germany's loss of the possibility to import oil from the Middle East? Third: what are the lessons to be learned today from the asymmetrical dispute between Romanian and Germany over the control of the former's oil