The Establishment of North-Eastern Borders of Romania: International and Legal Support for Incorporation of the Bessarabia Lands into the Kingdom (end of 1919 — the 1st half of 1920)

Authors

  • Yaroslav Popenko Associate Professor at the Department of Law, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Geography, Bogdan Khmelnitsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0841-0875
  • Ihor Sribniak Head of the Department of World History, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Borys Grinchenko Metropolitan Kyiv University, Doctor of History, Professor, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9750-4958
  • Natalia Yakovenko Professor at the Department of International Organizations and Diplomatic Service, Institute of International Relations, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Doctor of History, Professor, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9750-4958
  • Viktor Matviyenko Head of the Department of of International Organizations and Diplomatic Service, Institute of International Relations, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Doctor of History, Professor, Kyiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0012-5175

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.28925/2524-0757.2024.16

Keywords:

Paris Peace Treaty, “Bessarabia” issue, the Entente, diplomacy, National Assembly, Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, Romania

Abstract

The foreign policy of Romania throughout the first decades of the 20th century was neither unplanned nor spontaneous. It was pursued by the Kingdom’s leadership within the framework of the idea of establishing the “Greater Romania”. Generally, the policy of official Bucharest during the war period and the period of the formation of the Versailles system of international relations was concentrated on defending national interests and gaining the status of a regional leader in the Balkans. The purpose of the article is to analyse the political struggle around the “Bessarabia” issue at the Paris Peace Conference throughout December 1919 — March 1920. Indeed, exactly this time frame became decisive for the Romanian Kingdom in terms of the recognition by the international community of its sole priority to rule Bessarabia. Great amount of relevant information and materials enabled authors of the article to analyse a comparatively short-term period of proceedings of the Paris Conference as it clearly demonstrates the tense atmosphere of the process of creating a new geopolitical map of post-war Europe. As a whole, Alexandru Vaida-Voevod’s activities in solving the “Bessarabia” problem had positive outcomes for Romania. On March 12th, the National Assembly directed the decision on this issue to the government in Bucharest. Taking into account preliminary conclusions and “yearning” of Bessarabia population the Allies in general declared for the reunification of Bessarabia and Romania. At the same time, they demanded that official Bucharest guarantee legitimate interests of Bessarabia on the same conditions as for other parts of the Kingdom.

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Published

2024-06-28

How to Cite

Popenko, Y., Sribniak, I., Yakovenko, N., & Matviyenko, V. (2024). The Establishment of North-Eastern Borders of Romania: International and Legal Support for Incorporation of the Bessarabia Lands into the Kingdom (end of 1919 — the 1st half of 1920). Kyiv Historical Studies, (1 (18), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.28925/2524-0757.2024.16

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Section

Historical Studies