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105-690: Bessarabia , previously the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia , was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812. At the end of World War I , all of Bessarabia – including Gagauzia – was annexed to the Kingdom of Romania . A Soviet invasion and occupation began in June 1940, but the territory was again occupied by Romania from 1941 to 1944, after the latter joined the Axis powers and helped invade

210-699: A Kutrigur descent. In the official Gagauz museum, a plaque mentions that one of the two main theories is that they descend from the Bulgars. Bessarabia , previously the eastern half of the Principality of Moldavia , was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812 following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1806–1812 ( see Treaty of Bucharest (1812) ). Nogai tribes who inhabited several villages in south Bessarabia (or Budjak ) were forced to leave. Between 1812 and 1846,

315-512: A "natural and rational distribution of agricultural property", it also led to fragmentation of agricultural land. This made the practice of intensive agriculture difficult, since peasants had reduced opportunity to purchase agricultural equipment. Towards the end of the Communist period, the two interwar concepts of development and modernization were re-embraced. After the fall of Communism , Romanian historiography treated Bessarabia mainly in

420-656: A Soviet autonomous republic in southern Moldova separate from Moldova, around the city of Comrat , and called it the Gagauz Republic ( Gagauz-Yeri in their language ). It had previously been declared as an ASSR within Moldova on 12 November 1989. In September 1990, individuals representing the mostly Slavic inhabitants of the Dniester River's east bank proclaimed a separate entity in Transnistria with

525-533: A capital at Tiraspol . In 1990, Topal became one of the leaders of the national movement in southern Moldova . On 31 October 1990, he was elected president of the Supreme Soviet of the self-proclaimed Gagauz Republic . Although the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Moldova immediately declared these proclamations invalid, elections took place in both self-proclaimed republics. On 1 December 1991, Topal

630-509: A complex phenomenon, which also required further mechanism to support the new owner. However, agriculture was ignored by the state, and the new owners were greatly affected by the lack of credit, Romanian authors of the time suggested various ways this situation could have been overcome. Ultimately, as the state failed to create an adequate agricultural policy, by the end of the 1920 authors were hoping progress could be made through private initiative. Romanian authors also paid particular attention to

735-451: A different degree of their adaptability to the new conditions. The modernization interwar period is also seen as the third phase of a continuous process, begun in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and brutally interrupted by the establishment of Communism. In this context, some authors consider the comparative studies of the interwar and post-Communist periods in different fields as particularly current. Soviet historiography considered

840-519: A general Romanian context in relation to the previous Russian period, as well as the uneven and not so fast modernization process, determined by both internal and external factors. According to Vladimir Solonar and Vladimir Bruter, Bessarabia under Romanian rule experienced low population growth due to high mortality (highest in Romania and one of the highest in Europe) as well as emigration; Bessarabia

945-431: A mandate for lawmaking powers within its own jurisdiction. This includes laws on education, culture, local development, budgetary and taxation issues, social security, and questions of territorial administration. The People's Assembly also has two special powers: it may participate in the formulation of Moldova's internal and foreign policy; and, should central regulations interfere with the jurisdiction of Gagauz-Yeri, it has

1050-518: A monastery or a church close to the battlefield honoring Christianity. Many of these battlefields and churches, as well as old fortresses, are situated in Bessarabia (mainly along Dniester). In 1484, the Ottoman Empire invaded and captured Chilia and Cetatea Albă (Akkerman in Turkish), and annexed the shoreline southern part of Bessarabia, which was then divided into two sanjaks (districts) of

1155-550: A number of historical myths". The discussion of the social-economic and politico-administrative situation in the region was also closely related to the Romanian-Soviet conflictual relations of the 1960s and 1970s, during which both communist countries treated the Bessarabian problem for political purposes. The presence of the ideological factor in writing the history of Bessarabia was manifested itself not only at

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1260-739: A secret agreement signed along the Treaty of Buftea , the German Empire allowed Romania to annex Bessarabia in exchange for free passage of German troops toward Ukraine. The county councils of Bălți , Soroca and Orhei were the earliest to ask for unification of the Moldavian Democratic Republic with the Kingdom of Romania , and on April 9 [O.S. March 27] 1918, in the presence of the Romanian Army, The Country Council , called "Sfatul Țării", voted in favour of

1365-633: A short war in the early 1990s, the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic was proclaimed in the Transnistria , extending its authority also over the municipality of Bender on the right bank of Dniester river. Part of the Gagauz -inhabited areas in southern Bessarabia was organised in 1994 as an autonomous region within Moldova. According to the traditional explanation, the name Bessarabia ( Basarabia in Romanian ) derives from

1470-861: A sovereign nation, Gagauzia's Football team cannot be admitted to FIFA . However, in 2006 Gagauzia did participate in the ELF Cup , held in North Cyprus , where it competed with teams from other regions around the world which fall short of full national sovereignty. Gagauzia has various football clubs. FC Olimp Comrat and Univer-Oguzsport are based in Comrat and FC Saxan Gagauz Yeri is based in Ceadîr-Lunga and they play their matches in Ceadîr-Lunga Stadium . Bessarabia Bessarabia ( / ˌ b ɛ s ə ˈ r eɪ b i ə / )

1575-500: Is agriculture , particularly viticulture . The main export products are wine , sunflower oil , non-alcoholic beverages, wool , leather , and textiles . There are 12 wineries, processing more than 400,000 tonnes annually. There are also two oil factories, two carpet factories, one meat factory, and one non-alcoholic beverage factory. There are 451 kilometres (280 mi) of roads in Gagauzia, of which 82% are paved. According to

1680-730: Is a historical region in Eastern Europe , bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova , with the Budjak region covering the southern coastal region and part of the Ukrainian Chernivtsi Oblast covering a small area in the north. In the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812) , and the ensuing Peace of Bucharest ,

1785-417: Is divided into three districts. The main, central enclave includes the cities Comrat and Ceadîr-Lunga and is divided into two districts with those cities serving as administrative centers. The second largest enclave is located around the city of Vulcănești , while two smaller enclaves are the villages of Copceac and Carbalia . The village of Carbalia falls under administration of Vulcănești, while Copceac

1890-512: Is part of the Ceadîr-Lunga district. Gagauzia consists of one municipality, two cities, and 23 communes containing a total of 32 localities. The autonomy of Gagauzia is guaranteed by the Moldovan constitution and regulated by the 1994 Gagauz Autonomy Act. If Moldova decided to unite with Romania , Gagauzia would have the right of self-determination. The Gagauz People's Assembly ( Gagauz : Halk Topluşu ; Romanian: Adunarea Populară ) has

1995-792: The Bulgarian and Gagauz population migrated to the Russian Empire via the River Danube , after living many years under oppressive Ottoman rule, and settled in southern Bessarabia. Turkic-speaking tribes of the Nogai horde also inhabited the Budjak Region (in Turkish Bucak) of southern Bessarabia from the 16th to 18th centuries but were totally driven out prior to 1812. Administratively, Bessarabia became an oblast of

2100-523: The Entente Powers requested military assistance from Romania, and the Romanian Army crossed the republic's border on January 23 [ O.S. January 10] 1918; following several skirmishes with Moldovan and Bolshevik troops, the occupation of the whole region was completed in early March. The occupation of Bessarabia by the Romanians was not universally welcomed, and the members of

2205-772: The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic , while territories in the north and the south of Bessarabia were transferred to the Ukrainian SSR . Axis -aligned Romania recaptured the region in 1941 with the success of Operation München during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union , but lost it in 1944 as the tide of war turned. In 1947,

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2310-517: The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was established on a strip of Ukrainian land on the west bank of Dniester where Moldovans and Romanians accounted for less than a third and the relative majority of the population was Ukrainian . (See Demographics of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ). Svetlana Suveică considers that historical discourse regarding interwar Bessarabia

2415-621: The Moldavian Democratic Republic , an autonomous republic part of a proposed federative Russian state . Bolshevik agitation in late 1917 and early 1918 resulted in the intervention of the Romanian Army , ostensibly to pacify the region. Soon after, the parliamentary assembly declared independence, and then union with the Kingdom of Romania . However, the legality of these acts was disputed, most prominently by

2520-550: The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted an even broader law, which confers a special autonomous status on Gagauzia as of 23 December 1994. It entered into force on 14 January 1995. After Gagauzia's autonomy was accepted by the Moldovan Parliament, the first round of elections for the post of Governor of Gagauzia took place on 25 May 1995, together with elections for the region's Popular Assembly. None of

2625-548: The Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812 —the Ottoman Empire ceded the land between the Pruth and the Dniester, including both Moldavian and Turkish territories, to the Russian Empire . That entire region was then called Bessarabia . In 1814, the first German settlers arrived and mainly settled in the southern parts, and Bessarabian Bulgarians began settling in the region too, founding towns such as Bolhrad . Between 1812 and 1846,

2730-662: The Soviet Union , which regarded the area as a territory occupied by Romania. In 1940, after securing the assent of Nazi Germany through the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , the Soviet Union pressured Romania, under threat of war, into withdrawing from Bessarabia, allowing the Red Army to enter and the Soviet Union to annex the region . The area was formally integrated into the Soviet Union: the core joined parts of

2835-550: The Wallachian Basarab dynasty , who allegedly ruled over the southern part of the area in the 14th century. However, some scholars question this, arguing that: According to Dimitrie Cantemir , the name Bessarabia originally applied only to the part of the territory south of the Upper Trajanic Wall , i.e. an area only slightly larger than present-day Budjak . The region is bounded by the Dniester to

2940-488: The "Law on the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia" ( Gagauz : Gagauz Yeri ). The law entered into force on 14 January 1995, resolving the dispute peacefully. 23 December is now a Gagauz holiday. Gagauzia is now a "national-territorial autonomous unit" with three official languages: Romanian, Gagauz, and Russian. Communes with over 50% ethnic Gagauz held referendums where a simple majority was required to join

3045-441: The (Bessarabian) land in the interwar period". This ongoing controversy highlights the two antagonistic geopolitical tendencies present in the contemporary Moldovan historiography: the pro-East current versus the pro-West current. The Western historiography pointed out that the reforms at the beginning of Romania's rule were mainly directed at easing the social tensions existing across Eastern Europe and were, therefore, similar to

3150-493: The 1360s, the region was gradually included in the principality of Moldavia , which by 1392 established control over the fortresses of Akkerman and Chilia , its eastern border becoming the River Dniester . Based on the name of the region, some authors consider that in the latter part of the 14th century the southern part of the region was under the rule of Wallachia (the ruling dynasty of Wallachia during that period

3255-462: The 1980s, but strengthened by the end of the decade, as the Soviet Union began to embrace liberal ideals. In 1988, activists from the local intelligentsia aligned with other ethnic minorities to create a movement known as the Gagauz People. A year later, the Gagauz People held its first assembly; they passed a resolution demanding the creation of an autonomous territory in southern Moldova, with

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3360-462: The 2014 census, Gagauzia had a population of 134,132, of which 36.2% urban and 63.8% rural population. According to the 2014 census results, the ethnic breakdown in Gagauzia was: There is an ongoing identity controversy over whether Romanians and Moldovans are the same ethnic group. At the census, every citizen could only declare one nationality; consequently, one could not declare oneself both Moldovan and Romanian. Gagauzia has 55 schools,

3465-541: The 6th and 3rd millennium BC. In Antiquity the region was inhabited by Thracians , as well as for shorter periods by Cimmerians , Scythians , Sarmatians , and Celts , specifically by tribes such as the Costoboci , Carpi , Britogali , Tyragetae , and Bastarnae . In the 6th century BC, Greek settlers established the colony of Tyras along the Black Sea coast and traded with the locals. Celts also settled in

3570-479: The Bessarabian government denied that the Romanian troops had ever been invited to occupy the republic. After Ukraine issued its Fourth Universal , breaking ties with Bolshevik Russia and proclaiming a sovereign Ukrainian state, Sfatul Țării declared Bessarabia's independence on February 6 [ O.S. January 24] 1918, as the Moldavian Democratic Republic . On March 5 [O.S. 20 February] 1918, in

3675-491: The Comrat Pedagogical College (high school plus two years over high school), and Comrat State University ( Komrat Devlet Universiteti ). Despite declaring Gagauz as the national language of the autonomous region, the local authorities do not provide any full Gagauz-teaching school; most of those are Russian-language as opposed to inner Moldovan full Romanian language education. Turkey financed

3780-592: The Danube; and Bilhorod-Dnistrovs'kyi , historically known as Cetatea Albă or Akkerman, also in southwestern Ukraine near Odesa. Other towns of administrative or historical importance include Cahul , Soroca , Orhei , Ungheni and Comrat , all now in Moldova; and Khotyn , Kilia , Reni and Bolhrad , all now in Ukraine. In the late 14th century, the newly established Principality of Moldavia encompassed what later became known as Bessarabia. Afterward, this territory

3885-655: The Dniester and the Danube rivers. Following the Crimean War , in 1856, the southern areas of Bessarabia were returned to Moldavian rule; Russian rule was restored over the whole of the region in 1878, when Romania , the result of Moldavia's union with Wallachia , was pressured into exchanging those territories for the Dobruja . In 1917, in the wake of the Russian Revolution , the area constituted itself as

3990-697: The EU. On 23 March 2015, Irina Vlah of the Party of Socialists was elected as the new governor after a strongly pro-Russian campaign, dominated by the quest for closer ties with the Russian Federation. On 19 July 2023, Vlah was succeeded by Evghenia Guțul of the Șor Party , a Eurosceptic and Russophilic party that was declared unconstitutional and banned by the Constitutional Court of Moldova exactly 1 month earlier after an investigation

4095-654: The Gagauz people. Several decades later, the Gagauz ethnologist M. N. Guboglo listed 21 such theories. In some, the Gagauz are presented as descendants of Bulgars , Cumans - Kipchaks , or a clan of Seljuk Turks led by the Turkoman dervish Sarı Saltık . Their Orthodox confession may suggest that their ancestors were already living in the Balkans prior to the Ottoman conquest in the late 14th century. Another theory suggests

4200-482: The Gagauz, but opposed independence. He was also opposed to the suggestion that Moldova become a federal state made up of three republics: Moldova, Gagauzia, and Transnistria. In 1994, the Parliament of Moldova awarded to "the people of Gagauzia" (through the adoption of the new Constitution of Moldova) the right of "external self-determination". On 23 December 1994, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova accepted

4305-474: The Moldovan parliament voted on independence on 27 August 1991, six of the 12 Gagauz deputies in the Moldovan parliament voted in favour, while the other six abstained. The Moldovan government began to pay more attention to minority rights . The economic dependence of Gagauzia on the rest of Moldova, and the Moldovan army's inability to defeat Transnistria, created reasons for compromise on both sides. In February 1994, President Mircea Snegur promised autonomy to

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4410-737: The Ottoman Empire. In 1538, the Ottomans annexed more Bessarabian land in the south as far as Tighina , while the central and northern Bessarabia remained part of the Principality of Moldavia (which became a vassal of the Ottoman Empire). Between 1711 and 1812, the Russian Empire occupied the region five times during its wars against the Ottoman and Austrian Empires . By the Treaty of Bucharest of May 28, 1812—concluding

4515-598: The Republic of Moldova. Eligibility for governorship requires fluency in the Gagauz language, Moldovan citizenship, and a minimum age of 35 years. Permanent executive power in Gagauz Yeri is exercised by the Executive Committee ( Bakannik Komiteti / Comitetul Executiv ). Its members are appointed by the governor, or by a simple majority vote in the Assembly at its first session. The Committee ensures

4620-406: The Romanian common framework are also of interest. Romanian authors mainly blamed the lasting effects of Russian domination and the destabilizing role of Soviet Russia (USSR) for the malfunctioning of the Romanian administration, with some also pointing to the difficult and non-uniform character of the integration generated by the non-uniform character of the development of the provinces until 1918, of

4725-458: The Romanian interwar period". In Suveică's opinion, the conception of Soviet historiography was based on distorted facts that would serve as "indisputable arguments" for the establishment of an illegal "occupation" regime. According to Wim P. van Meurs "the legitimation of the political regime has been the main function of (the Soviet) historiography and such a legitimation has usually been based on

4830-478: The Russian Empire in 1818, and a guberniya in 1873. The Treaty of Adrianople , which concluded the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829 , stated that the entire Danube Delta would be ceded to the Bessarabian oblast. According to Vasile Stoica, emissary of the Romanian government to the United States, in 1834, Romanian was banned from schools and government facilities, despite 80% of the population speaking

4935-577: The Russian Empire to lose access to the Danube river. In 1859, Moldavia and Wallachia united to form the Romanian United Principalities (Romania) , which included the southern part of Bessarabia. The railway Chișinău - Iași was opened on June 1, 1875, in preparation for the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and the Eiffel Bridge was opened on April 21 [ O.S. April 9] 1877, just three days before

5040-546: The Russians relocated the Gagauz people from what is today eastern Bulgaria (which was then under the Ottoman Empire) to the orthodox Bessarabia, mainly in the settlements vacated by the Nogai tribes. They settled there together with Bessarabian Bulgarians in Avdarma , Comrat, Congaz , Tomai , Cișmichioi , and other former Nogai villages. Some Gagauz were also settled in the part of the Principality of Moldavia that did not come under Russian control in 1812. But, within several years, villagers moved to live with their own people in

5145-400: The Soviet-Romanian border along the Prut was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Paris that formally ended hostilities of World War II . During the process of the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the Moldavian and Ukrainian SSRs proclaimed their independence in 1991, becoming the modern states of Moldova and Ukraine while preserving the existing partition of Bessarabia. Following

5250-476: The Tatar invasions. In the Late Middle Age, chronicles mention a Tigheci "republic", predating the establishment of the Principality of Moldavia , situated near the modern town of Cahul in the southwest of Bessarabia, preserving its autonomy even during the later Principality even into the 18th century. Genovese merchants rebuilt or established a number of forts along the Dniester (notably Moncastro ) and Danube (including Kyliya/Chilia - Licostomo ). After

5355-415: The US and Romania. Soviet Russia (and later, the USSR) did not recognize the union, and by 1924, after its demands for a regional plebiscite were declined by Romania for the second time, declared Bessarabia to be Soviet territory under foreign occupation. On all Soviet maps, Bessarabia was highlighted as a territory not belonging to Romania. A Provisional Workers' & Peasants' Government of Bessarabia

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5460-402: The USSR. After World War II , it was incorporated into the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic . In 1990, Gagauzia declared itself independent from Moldova as the Gagauz Republic during the dissolution of the Soviet Union , but was ultimately reintegrated into Moldova in 1995. In the early 20th century, Bulgarian historian M. Dimitrov enumerated 19 different theories concerning the origin of

5565-409: The administrative corps of Bessarabia - "an unstable and corrupt stratum" - observing that transfer of administrative personnel from Romania to Bessarabia was regarded as a severe punishment, and the clerks affected generally sought personal enrichment; the local administration was also considered rigid and unwilling to reform. In general, Western historiography analyzed the modernization of Bessarabia in

5670-449: The application of the laws of the Republic of Moldova and those of the Assembly of Gagauz-Yeri. As part of its autonomy, Gagauzia has its own police force. Gagauz Halkı is a former Gagauz separatist political party, now outlawed. Elections for the local governor and parliament as well as referendums take place in the autonomous region. The population also votes in the national legislatives elections. The base of Gagauzia's economy

5775-419: The autonomous region. Communes with fewer Gagauz could have referendums if they were requested by one-third of the population. Following the 5 March 1995 referendum , three towns and 26 communes were included in the Autonomous Gagauz Territory. Gheorghe Tabunșcic  [ ro ] was elected to serve as the Governor ( Romanian : Guvernator , Gagauz: Başkan ) of Gagauzia for a four-year term, as were

5880-408: The autonomy and Chișinău. Finally, Croitor resigned in 2002 due to the pressure from the Moldovan government, which accused him of abuse of authority, relations with the separatist authorities of Transnistria, and other charges. The central electoral commission of Gagauzia did not register Croitor as a candidate for the post of the governor in the subsequent elections, and Tabunșcic was elected in what

5985-499: The boy had been killed to use his blood in preparation of matzos ). After the 1905 Russian Revolution , a Romanian nationalist movement started to develop in Bessarabia. In the chaos brought by the Russian revolution of October 1917 , a National Council ( Sfatul Țării ) was established in Bessarabia, with 120 members elected from Bessarabia by some political and professional organizations and 10 elected from Transnistria (the left bank of Dniester where Romanians accounted for half of

6090-431: The central government in Chișinău . The Gagauz were also worried about the implications for them if Moldova reunited with Romania, as seemed likely at the time. In November 1989, the Gagauz ASSR was declared within Moldova. In August 1990, Comrat declared itself an autonomous Soviet republic separate from Moldova, but the Moldovan government annulled the declaration as unconstitutional. At that time, Stepan Topal emerged as

6195-434: The central level, but also at the level of the historiography of Soviet Moldavia . It was not until the second half of the '80s that the Moldovan historiography raised the issue of the Soviet political and ideological pressures. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union , the Moldovan historiography, largely marked by the public identity discourse , deals with the problems of the interwar Bessarabian history, depending on

6300-422: The changes that took place in interwar Bessarabia expressed were directed either towards strengthening the political, economical, and social position of the bourgeoisie, to the detriment of the peasantry, or towards creating a favourable position for the Romanian population, to the detriment of the national minorities; Soviet authors thus reportedly rejected the notion that any modernization and progress took place in

6405-405: The city of Comrat as its capital. The Gagauz national movement intensified when Moldovan (Romanian) was accepted as the official language of the Republic of Moldova in August 1989, challenging the then-dominant Russian language which was the official language of the USSR. A part of the multiethnic population of southern Moldova was concerned about the change in official languages. They did not trust

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6510-532: The compact area in the south of Bessarabia where their descendants inhabit in the 21st century. With the exception of a six-day de facto independence in the winter of 1906, when a peasant uprising declared an autonomous Comrat Republic , ethnic Gagauz have always been ruled by other dominant groups: the Russian Empire (1812–1917), the Kingdom of Romania (1918–1940 and 1941–1944), the Soviet Union (1940–41 and 1944–91), and Moldova (1917–18 and 1991 to date). Gagauz nationalism remained an intellectual movement during

6615-404: The context of Romanian nation-building, seen as the main issue affecting Greater Romania; authors focused mainly on issues related to the general and specific context of Bessarabia after the Union, the state's efforts for social-political and economic integration, and cultural development of Bessarabia. The internal and external factors that determined the specifics of the province's integration into

6720-412: The context. On the one hand, the supporters of the idea of Moldovan statehood reject the option of modernization and progress of Bessarabia after the Union with Romania while, on the other hand, the historians who, starting from the idea of the Romanian character of Bessarabia, and using new sources, "contribute to the in-depth knowledge of the integrating and modernizing processes that marked the history of

6825-446: The creation of a Turkish cultural centre ( Türk İşbirliği Ve Kalkınma İdaresi Başkanlığı ) and a Turkish library ( Atatürk Kütüphanesi ). In the village of Beșalma, there is a Gagauz historical and ethnographical museum established by Dimitriy Kara Çöban . In 2013 , Ludmila Tukan was selected to represent Gagauzia in the territory's debut at the Turkvision Song Contest , with the song Вернись любовь ("Come back love"). Not being

6930-416: The deputies of the local parliament, " The People's Assembly " (Gagauz: Halk Topluşu ), with Petru Pașalî  [ ro ] as chairman . Dumitru Croitor  [ ro ] won the 1999 governor elections and began to assert the rights granted to the governor by the 1994 agreement. The central authorities of Moldova proved unwilling to accept the results, initiating a lengthy stand-off between

7035-399: The early Middle Ages. The last large-scale invasions were those of the Mongols of 1241, 1290, and 1343. Sehr al-Jedid (near Orhei ), an important settlement of the Golden Horde , dates from this period. They led to a retreat of a big part of the population to the mountainous areas in Eastern Carpathians and to Transylvania . The population east of Prut became especially low at the time of

7140-419: The eastern parts of the Principality of Moldavia , an Ottoman vassal , along with some areas formerly under direct Ottoman rule, were ceded to Imperial Russia . The acquisition was among the Russian Empire's last territorial acquisitions in Europe. The newly acquired territories were organised as the Bessarabia Governorate of the Russian Empire, adopting a name previously used for the southern plains between

7245-399: The four candidates for the governorship ( Gheorghe Tabunșcic , Mihail Kendighelean , Dumitru Croitor and Stepan Topal) won the votes needed to be elected in the first round. Topal had not even managed to advance to the second round. From 1999 to 2002, Topal was the principal adviser to başkan Dumitru Croitor. In the 2001 Moldovan parliamentary election , Topal ran for a seat from Comrat on

7350-461: The highest opposition of any administrative division of Moldova. Neighbouring Taraclia District had the second-highest opposition, at 92.04%, whereas the country as a whole voted narrowly in favour (50.39%), despite allegations of Russian interference from president Maia Sandu and from the European Union , including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and evidence of vote buying reported by BBC News . Gagauzia comprises four enclaves, and

7455-413: The interwar period, Romanian historians countered Soviet historians' description of it as the establishment of an "occupation regime". The agrarian reform, considered one of the most radical in Europe (an idea also supported by Western historians), was appreciated as having a positive role, emphasizing the national emancipation of the Romanian peasantry, while the modernization of agriculture was presented as

7560-523: The language. This later lead to the banning of Romanian in churches, media, and books. According to the same author, those who protested the banning of Romanian could be sent to Siberia . At the end of the Crimean War , in 1856, by the Treaty of Paris , Southern Bessarabia (organised as the Cahul and Ismail counties, with the Bolgrad county split from the latter in 1864) was returned to Moldavia, causing

7665-443: The latter in "a numerous and profitable mass of clients for the banks". According to the analysis Western authors, the reform only changed the distribution of the land, and not agricultural policies; as a result of the economical and social policies of the Romanian governments, small and medium-sized farms remained unprofitable, while the large farms not affected by the reform also lost their economic role. Western authors also criticized

7770-689: The leader of the Gagauz national movement. Support for the Soviet Union remained high in Gagauzia, with a referendum in March 1991 returning an almost unanimous vote in favour of remaining part of the USSR. Many Gagauz supported the Moscow coup attempt in August 1991, and in September the same year, Transnistria declared its independence, thus further straining relations with the government of Moldova. But, when

7875-468: The lists of the Edinstvo electoral bloc, but the alliance won less than the 5% of the vote needed to secure parliamentary seats, so Topal was not elected. In 2002, he was one of the founders of the social-political movement Za Gagauziu! ( For Gagauzia ), formed in opposition to the ruling Communists . When snap elections for Governor of Gagauzia were held again on 6 October 2002, Topal ran again. However,

7980-503: The locals, as well as the general structure of the administrative corps. During the Communist period , Romanian historians initially treated the reforms applied after World War I mainly from social class perspectives. Starting with the 1960s, the first studies that mentioned the existence of a " Bessarabian historical problem " appeared. From the second half of the 1970s, studies on the agrarian reform considered that while this led to

8085-645: The myriad of tribes there are called by modern historians Free Dacians . The 2nd to the 5th centuries also saw the development of the Chernyakhov culture . In 270, the Roman authorities began to withdraw their forces south of the Danube, especially from the Roman Dacia , due to the invading Goths and Carpi. The Goths, a Germanic tribe, poured into the Roman Empire from the lower Dniepr River , through

8190-450: The north and east, the Prut to the west, and the lower River Danube and Black Sea to the south. It has an area of 45,630 km (17,620 sq mi). The area is mostly hilly plains and flat steppes . It is very fertile and has lignite deposits and stone quarries. People living in the area grow sugar beet , sunflower , wheat , maize , tobacco , wine grapes , and fruit . They raise sheep and cattle . The main industry in

8295-453: The ones taking place elsewhere in the region. In the case of the agrarian reform, G. Clenton Logio states that the Romanians were pressed into legislating it, as expropriation had begun before the Union and there was the danger that Bessarabians would undo this act; he notes that no planning took place regarding the effects of the reform and the problems of the peasantry were ignored, transforming

8400-556: The other conditions and made unification with Romania unconditional. The legality of this vote was considered highly debatable since the meeting had not been publicly announced, there was no quorum (only 44 of the 125 members took part in it, mostly Moldavian conservatives), and then the Country Council voted for its self-dissolution, preventing the protests of the Moldavians and minorities members who had not participated in

8505-413: The outbreak of the war. The Romanian War of Independence was fought in 1877–78, with the help of the Russian Empire as an ally. Northern Dobruja was awarded to Romania for its role in the 1877–78 Russo-Turkish War, and as compensation for the transfer of Southern Bessarabia. The Kishinev pogrom took place in the capital of Bessarabia on April 6, 1903, after local newspapers published articles inciting

8610-658: The parliamentary session from being taken into account. In the autumn of 1919, elections for the Romanian Constituent Assembly were held in Bessarabia; 90 deputies and 35 senators were chosen. On December 20, 1919, these men voted, along with the representatives of Romania's other regions, to ratify the unification acts that had been approved by the Country Council and the National Congresses in Transylvania and Bukovina. The union

8715-559: The population, the rest being Russians and Ukrainians . See Demographics of Transnistria ). The Rumcherod Committee ( Central Executive Committee of the Soviets of Romanian Front , Black Sea Fleet and Odesa Military District) proclaimed itself the supreme power in Bessarabia. On the pretext of securing supply lines against raids by Bolsheviks and armed bandits, members of the Moldavian legislative council Sfatul Țării and

8820-454: The public to act against Jews ; 47 or 49 Jews were killed, 92 severely wounded and 700 houses destroyed. The anti-Semitic newspaper Бессарабец (Bessarabetz, meaning "Bessarabian"), published by Pavel Krushevan, insinuated that local Jews killed a Russian boy. Another newspaper, Свет (Lat. Svet, meaning "World" or Russian for "Light"), used the age-old blood libel against the Jews (alleging that

8925-525: The region and established settlements. Then, in 582, Onogur Bulgars settled in southeastern Bessarabia and northern Dobruja , from which they moved to Moesia Inferior (allegedly under pressure from the Khazars ), and formed the nascent region of Bulgaria . With the rise of the Khazars' state in the east, the invasions began to diminish and it was possible to create larger states. According to some opinions,

9030-493: The region during Romanian rule. The transformations that took place on different levels of the Bessarabian society at that time were treated from a social class and/or ethnopolitical positions; Svetlana Suveică states "the writings from the Soviet period, directly determined by the interference of politics in historical science, alternated the ideas regarding the "Moldovan" nation and the national identity, with severe condemnations of

9135-503: The region is agricultural processing. The main Bessarabian cities are Chișinău , the former capital of the Russian Bessarabia Governorate, now capital of Moldova; Bălți , on the river Răut , often dubbed the "Northern capital" of Moldova; Bender/Tighina , on the Dniester, currently controlled by the unrecognized Russian-backed separatist region of Transnistria; Izmail , in the southwest corner of Ukraine on

9240-521: The right of appeal to Moldova's Constitutional Court . The highest official of Gagauzia, who heads the executive power structure, is the Governor of Gagauzia (Gagauz: Başkan ; Romanian: Guvernatorul Găgăuziei ). The governor is elected by popular suffrage for a four-year term, and has power over all public administrative bodies of Gagauzia. The governor is also a member of the Government of

9345-503: The southern part of Bessarabia ( Budjak steppe ), which due to its geographic position and characteristics (mainly steppe ), was swept by various nomadic tribes for many centuries. In 378, the area was overrun by the Huns . From the 3rd century until the 11th century, the region was invaded numerous times in turn by different tribes: Goths , Huns , Avars , Bulgars , Magyars , Pechenegs , Cumans and Mongols . The territory of Bessarabia

9450-757: The southern part of Bessarabia remained under the influence of the First Bulgarian Empire until the end of the 9th century. Between the 8th and 10th centuries, the southern part of Bessarabia was inhabited by people from the Balkan-Danubian culture (the culture of the First Bulgarian Empire). Between the 9th and 13th centuries, Bessarabia is mentioned in Slav chronicles as part of Bolohoveni (north) and Brodnici (south) voivodeships, believed to be Vlach principalities of

9555-603: The southern parts of Bessarabia, their main city being Aliobrix . The first polity that is believed to have included the whole of Bessarabia was the Dacian polity of Burebista in the 1st century BC. After his death, the polity was divided into smaller pieces, and the central parts were unified in the Dacian kingdom of Decebalus in the 1st century AD. This kingdom was defeated by the Roman Empire in 106. Southern Bessarabia

9660-452: The unification of administrative legislation, norms, and principles of administrative law, as well as their application in Romanian practice. The institute of the zemstvo was regarded by some of them as the most democratic form of government, and its dissolution by the Romanian authorities was deplored; authors such as Onisifor Ghibu expressed a critical view on the relation between Romanian administrative personnel from outside Bessarabia and

9765-531: The union, with the following conditions: 86 deputies voted in support, three voted against and 36 abstained. The Romanian prime minister at the time, Alexandru Marghiloman , would later admit that the union was decided in Bucharest and Iași , the seats of the Romanian government. The first condition, the agrarian reform, was debated and approved in November 1918. The Country Council also decided to remove

9870-581: Was a Moldovan politician of Gagauz ancestry. From 1990 to 1995 he served as the only leader and President of the Gagauz Republic ; after reintegration into Moldova he served until 1995 as Governor (başkan) of Gagauzia . By training, Topal is a road engineer. He was an activist of the Communist Party of Moldova . Following the declaration of the Gagauz ASSR in Moldova on 12 November 1989, on 19 August 1990, ethnic Gagauz nationalists proclaimed

9975-520: Was also characterized by economic stagnation and high unemployment. Access to social services declined after the abolition of the zemstvos in the early 1920s, as these had previously provided local autonomy in managing education and public health. In the late 1930s, the Bessarabian population had among the highest incidences of several major infectious diseases and some of the highest mortality rates from these diseases. Stepan Topal Stepan Mikhailovich Topal (18 January 1938 – 29 September 2018)

10080-637: Was called Basarab ). In the 15th century, the entire region was a part of the principality of Moldavia. Stephen the Great ruled between 1457 and 1504, a period of nearly 50 years during which he won 32 battles defending his country against virtually all his neighbours (mainly the Ottomans and the Tatars, but also the Hungarians and the Poles) while losing only two. During this period, after each victory, he raised

10185-418: Was described as unfair elections. Mihail Formuzal served as the governor of Gagauzia from 2006 until 2015. That year Irina Vlah was elected to the position, with 51% of the vote. On 2 February 2014, Gagauzia held a referendum with an overwhelming majority of voters opting for closer ties with Russia over EU integration. They also said they preferred Gagauzian independence if Moldova were to choose to enter

10290-575: Was directly or indirectly, partly or wholly controlled by: the Ottoman Empire (as suzerain of Moldavia, with direct rule only in Budjak and Khotyn ), the Russian Empire , Romania , the USSR . Since 1991, most of the territory forms the core of Moldova , with smaller parts in Ukraine . People have inhabited the territory of Bessarabia for thousands of years. Cucuteni–Trypillia culture flourished between

10395-639: Was elected president of the Gagauz Republic (90% votes), and from 1991 to 1995 he headed the Supreme Soviet of the Gagauz Republic. That same month, Igor Smirnov was elected president of Transnistria. Topal supported greater unity among the former Soviet republics. He also self-declared as an " anti-Romanian ". Gagauz autonomy was enshrined in the July 1994 Constitution of Moldova , in Article 111, which also provides for Transnistria's autonomy. Later,

10500-516: Was encompassed in dozens of ephemeral kingdoms which were disbanded when another wave of migrants arrived. Those centuries were characterized by a terrible state of insecurity and mass movement of these tribes. The period was later known as the Dark Ages of Europe, or age of migrations. In 561, the Avars captured Bessarabia and executed the local ruler Mesamer . Following the Avars, Slavs arrived in

10605-640: Was founded on May 5, 1919, in exile at Odesa , by the Bolsheviks . On May 11, 1919, the Bessarabian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed as an autonomous part of Russian SFSR , but was abolished by the military forces of Poland and France in September 1919 (see Polish–Soviet War ). After the victory of Bolshevist Russia in the Russian Civil War , the Ukrainian SSR was created in 1922, and in 1924

10710-415: Was heavily influenced by the political association of the authors, and sought mainly to argue for or against the legality of Romanian rule in Bessarabia. The impact of the various reforms on the progress of the province was mostly ignored. Romanian historiography, for the most part, consistently sought to demonstrate the legitimacy of the regime established after the Union of Bessarabia with Romania. During

10815-670: Was included in the empire even before that, in 57 AD, as part of the Roman province Moesia Inferior , but it was secured only when the Dacian Kingdom was defeated in 106. The Romans built defensive earthen walls in Southern Bessarabia (e.g. Lower Trajan Wall ) to defend the Scythia Minor province against invasions. Except for the Black Sea shore in the south, Bessarabia remained outside direct Roman control;

10920-593: Was launched in May 2023 into suspected voter bribery during the 2023 Gagauz gubernatorial election . Guțul sits as an independent as a result of the Moldovan ban of Șor. In the 2024 Moldovan referendum on membership of the European Union , Gagauzia voted 94.84% against the wording "Do you support the amendment of the Constitution with a view to the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union?",

11025-569: Was recognized by France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan in the Treaty of Paris of 1920 . However, the treaty never came into force, as Japan did not ratify it. The United States refused to sign the treaty on the grounds that Russia was not represented at the Conference. The US also considered Bessarabia a territory under Romanian occupation, rather than Romanian territory, despite existing political and economic relations between

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