Romanian Territorial Claims during World War I under the Gaze of the Russian Press

Andrei Emilciuc

doi:10.23740/tid220201

Abstract

The article analyses the approach of the Russian press towards the Romanian territorial claims during the World War I. It is ascertained that the territorial issue was important in Romania’s attitude towards war, as the unification of historical and ethnic Romanian territories was essential for the national affirmation of Romania as a state. In this regard, the Russian press pointed towards the territories under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a major priority for the formation of Greater Romania. The goal was to attract Romania on its side against Austro-Hungarian and German offensive on the Eastern front. We scrutinize the Russian press’s approach towards Romanian territorial claims based on three distinct periods: 1) during Romania’s neutrality; 2) during Romania’s participation in the war as Russia’s ally; 3) After the Bolshevik revolution, when Russia withdrew unilaterally from the war. The emphasis on Romania’s territorial claims is shown mostly in the first period, with one exception – the Bessarabian issue is little or not mentioned at all. Within the second period, the Russian press almost lost sight of the Romanian territorial claims. Finally, the Bolsheviks, who proclaimed self-determination as the main approach to territorial issues, were those who denied Romania any claim for “disputable territories”, just because it opposed Bolshevization. During this latter period, the Bessarabian issue becomes the spear of Russian informational attacks against Romania, following the Union of this historical Moldavian territory with the Motherland.

Highlights

World War I broke out when territorial disputes in the modern era had reached their peak
As the relationship between Romania and Russia during the First World War was perhaps one of the most oscillating, we find it even more intriguing how the Russian public opinion was informed on the Romanian territorial claims, following the political relationship between the two states
Regarding Romania, the author claims that this has only one chance to be come a great European power, but this chance can always vanish and that “Maybe Romania is afraid that by occupying Transylvania, it will provoke the Bulgarian armies towards Dobrudja? What a big deal! The map of the future Europe will be drawn by a great coalition, which will dictate its will in Berlin”

Summary

Introduction

World War I broke out when territorial disputes in the modern era had reached their peak. The great modern empires, whose essence was based on an expansionist economic system, hit the possible limits of annexationism without risking to provoke a major confrontation This was due to the formation of the two rival pan-European military blocs. Throughout this equation, an increasingly key role is played by the nation states, which appeared during the 19th century, and were eager to defend their borders, and to adjust them based on historical and ethnic principles, at the expense of the territories under foreign domination. The first lost were Bukovina and Bessarabia, because of the annexation of the former by the Habsburg Empire in 1775 and of the latter by the Russian Empire in 1812 Both were previously part of the medieval Moldavian territory and, despite an intense policy of denationalization, the Romanian population had maintained an important ethnic share

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