The ancient origins of Romania

Romania was not always Romania. Over the centuries, different populations invaded this area, molding and shaping the well-known Romania of today.

At first, the Thracians migrated from Asia and occupied this part of Europe. From these tribes, a subgroup called the Getae or Dacians emerged and ruled the area under their powerful king, Burebista. In 100 A.C., the Dacian kingdom reached its peak, but then the Romans arrived and started to conquer territories.

The Dacians adopted parts of the conqueror’s language and religion until different nomadic tribes such as the Goths, Visigoths, Huns, and Slavs arrived in the region.

The Hungarian Occupation and the Struggle for Independence

Between the 9th and 11th centuries, the Hungarians started occupying the area. To consolidate their power and territory, the Hungarian king invited the Saxon (German) population to establish themselves in Transylvania. It was in 1300 that the first three provinces, Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania, were officially established.

After opposing resistance to the Ottoman Empire, the three principalities lost their independence and became part of the Turks’ territories. In 1600, Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania were united under Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave), the prince of Wallachia. However, this unity lasted only one year, after which Michael the Brave was defeated by the Turks and Habsburg forces.

Transylvania came under Habsburg rule, while Turkish sovereignty continued in Wallachia and Moldavia.

The Birth of Romania and of Iron Guard 

Moving forward, after revolutionary attempts and fights, in 1859, Moldavia and Wallachia became officially autonomous provinces. Romania was born on January 24, 1859, when the two provinces were unified under the power of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. 

Carol I, a German-born prince, succeeded Alexandru Ioan Cuza as the prince of Romania. After surviving a coup d’état, he was proclaimed King of Romania in 1881.

In 1914, King Carol I died, and he was succeeded by his nephew, King Ferdinand I. Romania entered World War I on the side of the Triple Entente, aiming to regain its lost territories (part of Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina). In 1918, the conquered territories were unified under Romanian control.

Between 1917 and 1930, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu started the Iron Guard, a strongly anti-democratic, anti-capitalist, anti-communist, and anti-Semitic political party. It differed from other European right-wing movements of the period due to its spiritual basis, as the Iron Guard was deeply imbued with Romanian Orthodox Christian mysticism.

Romania’s Turmoil: From Economic Crisis to the Rise of Fascism

The worldwide Great Depression that started in 1929 also destabilized Romania. The early 1930s were marked by social unrest, high unemployment, and strikes. The Romanian government violently repressed strikes and riots. In the mid-1930s, the Romanian economy recovered, and the industry grew significantly, although about 80% of Romanians were still employed in agriculture. French economic and political influence was predominant in the early 1920s, but then Germany became more dominant, especially in the 1930s.

As the 1930s progressed, Romania’s already shaky democracy slowly deteriorated toward fascist dictatorship. The constitution of 1923 gave the king free rein to dissolve parliament and call elections at will, resulting in Romania experiencing over 25 governments in a single decade.

Increasingly, these governments were dominated by a number of anti-Semitic, ultra-nationalist, and mostly quasi-fascist parties. The Iron Guard had already embraced the politics of assassinations, and various governments had reacted more or less in kind. On December 10, 1933, Liberal Prime Minister Ion Duca “dissolved” the Iron Guard, arresting thousands. Consequently, 19 days later, he was assassinated by Iron Guard legionnaires.

Romania’s Role in World War II

After the beginning of World War II, Romania’s declared neutral position allowed the transit of Poland’s government and maintained good relationships with the United Kingdom and Italy. Due to the important military presence in power, Ion Antonescu, known as the Conductor, was proclaimed prime minister by King Carol II. The new minister forced the king to abdicate in favor of his son, Michael, and forced Romania into his fascist dictatorship.

In the summer of 1940, the Soviet Union, which did not recognize the new Romanian territories, claimed and occupied Bessarabia, northern Bukovina, and the Herța Territory. The lack of a military response from Romania led the nationalist governments of surrounding countries to take advantage. Romania was thus forced to return part of Transylvania to Hungary and cede the Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria. In exchange for these concessions, Romania obtained the guarantee of Germany’s defense of Romanian territorial integrity from any further territorial claims by third countries, arousing the reaction of both Stalin and Mussolini, who considered that the political-territorial condition of Romania could not be discussed without their consent. Romania leaned strongly toward the Axis and helped Germany invade Russia the next year.

Romania tried to prevent the enrollment of ethnic German Romanians in the German Reich armed forces and the Waffen-SS but did nothing to prevent discrimination and the deportation of Romanian Jews.

In the summer of 1944, the Red Army arrived at the borders of the country. With a coup d’état, Antonescu was dismissed, and the new King Michael I signed an armistice with the Allies, turning his army against the German soldiers.

After the war, most of the Romanian territories were given to the Soviet Union, and Romania became a communist state under the Warsaw Pact. On December 30, 1947, King Michael I was forced to abdicate by Prime Minister Petru Groza. In 1948, the monarchy was officially abolished, and the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Romania was adopted.

From Dictatorship to Democracy: Romania’s Journey to Freedom

In 1965, the dictatorship of President Nicolae Ceaușescu began, characterized by a facade of paternalism based on terror. In 1989, it would end with a shocking popular revolt, coinciding with the fall of the Berlin Wall in East Germany. The revolution quickly got rid of Ceaușescu and his powerful wife with a summary trial of a few minutes and an equally fast and summary execution.

Since then, Romania has established itself as a democratic state, with a constitution inspired by Western models. On March 29, 2004, Romania joined NATO, together with Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. On January 1, 2007, Romania joined the EU together with Bulgaria.

Romania’s turbulent history has led to the presence of several minorities in its territories. This topic deserves to be explored in more depth to explain the dynamics still present in the country.