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Description

In 1917, during World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, political a Romanian nationalist movement started to develop in Bessarabia. In the chaos brought by the Russian revolution of October 1917, a National Council (SfatulŢării) was established in Bessarabia, with 120 members elected from Bessarabia and 10 elected from Transnistria (the left shore of the river Dnister, partially inhabited by ethnic Moldavians/Romanians). On December 2, 1917, the National Council declared Bessarabia the independent Democratic Moldovan Republic, federated with Russia. In December 13, Romanian troops entered the area. In February 1918, the new republic declared its complete independence from Russia and, two months later, voted to unite with Romania, thus angering the Russian government.
The USA, France, UK and other Western countries recognized Bessarabia’s incorporation into Romania in 1919 at Paris Peace Conference. The government of the Soviet Russia (and later, the USSR) never accepted that decision and kept considering Bessarabia their own territory under temporary Romanian ocupation.
After the creation of the Soviet Union in December 1922, the Soviet government moved in 1924 to establish the Moldavian Autonomous Oblast on land east of the Nistru River in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR). The capital of the oblast was at Balta (Balta, in Ukrainian), in present-day Ukraine. Seven months later, the oblast was upgraded to the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Moldavian ASSR), even though its population was only 30 percent ethnic Romanian. The capital remained at Balta until 1929, when it was moved to Tiraspol (Tiraspol', in Russian).

Description

In 1917, during World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution, political a Romanian nationalist movement started to develop in Bessarabia. In the chaos brought by the Russian revolution of October 1917, a National Council (SfatulŢării) was established in Bessarabia, with 120 members elected from Bessarabia and 10 elected from Transnistria (the left shore of the river Dnister, partially inhabited by ethnic Moldavians/Romanians). On December 2, 1917, the National Council declared Bessarabia the independent Democratic Moldovan Republic, federated with Russia. In December 13, Romanian troops entered the area. In February 1918, the new republic declared its complete independence from Russia and, two months later, voted to unite with Romania, thus angering the Russian government.
The USA, France, UK and other Western countries recognized Bessarabia’s incorporation into Romania in 1919 at Paris Peace Conference. The government of the Soviet Russia (and later, the USSR) never accepted that decision and kept considering Bessarabia their own territory under temporary Romanian ocupation.
After the creation of the Soviet Union in December 1922, the Soviet government moved in 1924 to establish the Moldavian Autonomous Oblast on land east of the Nistru River in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR). The capital of the oblast was at Balta (Balta, in Ukrainian), in present-day Ukraine. Seven months later, the oblast was upgraded to the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Moldavian ASSR), even though its population was only 30 percent ethnic Romanian. The capital remained at Balta until 1929, when it was moved to Tiraspol (Tiraspol', in Russian).