1 DECEMBER - NATIONAL DAY OF ROMANIA

1918 is the year in the history of Romanian national ideal triumph, victorious over încununarii year series of battles and human sacrifices and materials for National Unitary State.

This historical place throughout Romanian area, recorded strong earthquakes in 1784, 1821, 1848-1849, as cardinal events such as the union of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859, absolute independence of the country from Ottoman rule, as enshrined the field of battle in the war of 1877-1878 the Romanian army and representative assemblies, Romanians elected democratic territories under foreign rule from Chisinau, Chernivtsi and Alba Iulia in 1918. These memorable moments of 1918 made the sacrifice of Romanian soldiers in World War has not been in vain. Which in 1600 - the brave deed - was just a dream moment, to December 1, 1918 became the most miraculous achievement of this people. "In this day - wrote Nicolae Iorga - arrived an hour that you wait for ages, for which we have lived our whole national life, for which I worked and wrote, and I thought we fought. The time has come where we ask the world for us to live right, the right not to give anyone as slaves fruit of our labors. "

Organized in separate countries politically, always threatened by the expansion of more powerful neighbors, with parts of ancestral territory - Transylvania, Banat, Bukovina, Bessarabia, Dobruja - the three great empires annexed, Ottoman, Habsburg (Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867 ) and Russian, the Romanians have always maintained consciousness as belonging to the same people that have the same genesis. This consciousness of the unity of the nation was strengthened by constant and the many political, military, economic and cultural relations between the Romanian countries throughout the centuries. Nineteenth century - called "century of nationalities" - brought a new reality in the Romanian space, the Romanian nation, in which national unity crystallized consciousness, consciousness of common destiny - past, present and future.

Historical experience strongly revealed that political unity was the only way of resistance to the overwhelming pressures of concentric neighboring powers, as only she could ensure the survival and evolution of Romanian ethnic being the coordinates progress unabated. Forty-eighters ideology feature generation - who founded the modern Romanian state - and the Romanian political practice was the constant assertion of a fundamental choice: rehabilitation unit on Earth ancient Dacia. Deep in the heart of every Romanian - Nicholas wrote Balcescu - was etched belief that "the salvation of any foreign prince" could not be achieved only "by the national unity."

National Unity of Romanians perfection at the end of the First World War must be understood as a natural historic accomplishment as a necessity imposed by the evolution of the national state and its need for perfection and not as a result of Romania's military effort. No World War created the Greater Romania, it was just chance. Romania entered the war for the liberation of oppressed provinces and completion of the country, the ideal union claiming intense efforts, sacrifices and heroism on the battlefields of Transylvania and Dobrudja, the Jiu Valley and on Arges, like those at Marasti, Marasesti and Oituz. Not a military victory was the foundation of Romanian national state, but the act of the will of the Romanian nation. Their sacrifices in the years 1916 and 1917 campaign were rewarded by national ideal victory in czarist autocracy collapsed conditions, followed by the establishment and dissolution of the communist regime monarchy, and the affirmation of the right of peoples to self-determination on the basis of nationalities.

The first to implement the right to self-determination were Romanians of the Prut and Nistru. The first step was made on 21 November / December 4, 1917 when Country Council proclaimed "Republic of Moldovan democracy '- followed by 24 January / February 6, 1918 when it adopted the Declaration of Independence. Culmination of these actions was fulfilled on 27 March / April 9, 1918, the Country Council of Chisinau, elected by universal, direct, equal and secret majority vote decided to unite with Romania the Moldavian Democratic Republic (Bessarabia) "in its boundaries of the Prut, Dniester, Danube and Black Sea borders with Austria and old, broken now and over a hundred years old Moldovan body. "



Romanian Army in early 1918, in Bessarabia did not exercise any pressure on members of the Country Council and not installed a military dictatorship. It was called only to restore order and peace, to protect the legal regime established the Moldavian Republic for military depots of food security and armament Romanian - created there during refuge in Moldova - and ways of communication. Romanian military presence Bolsheviks managed to prevent actions, which seek the establishment of Soviet power in Bessarabia.

The same protective role they perform and Romanian troops entered Bukovina Romanian National Council at the request due to disorder caused by the withdrawal of military units Austrian and Ukrainian gangs, also preventing the Ukrainian National Council intentions to merge Northern Bukovina in Ukraine. Romanian military intervention took place after the Constituent Assembly - meeting of 14/27 October 1918 - has decided "Bucovina full union with other Romanian lands in an independent national state, in full solidarity with the Romanians in Transylvania and Hungary."

On December 1, 1918, in the heart of Transylvania, in Alba Iulia, the Grand National Assembly vote for the union of Transylvania, Banat, Crisana and Maramures with Romania, acclaimed by an impressive rally, other acts of union crown in Chisinau (27 March / April 9 1918) and Chernivtsi (15/28 November 1918) which came back Bessarabia and Bukovina in Rumania. This Romania, in its natural borders, has made for itself, doubts and errors over the political class, and indeed helped by enormous luck "- due to simultaneous dissolution of both Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires that encompass both the Romanian territories , as they wrote one of the artisans Union General Radu R. Rosetti. Representative assemblies and their bodies - Country Council, the Romanian National Council of Bukovina, Romanian National Central Council - through their decisions freely consented carrying out the expressed aspirations of the Romanian people Romanian provinces union with the motherland in a democratic framework, by acts of free will, Romanian territory, before formal peace to end - by international treaties - the First World War.

Realization of the national state of the Romanian nation allowed to capitalize their energies, his creative abilities in the service of economic progress in the development of science, education and culture. Evolving the system of parliamentary democracy, Romania joined the inter-war years the trajectory of modern life, bringing on a substantial contribution to international peace and security work.

"... Great Union of 1918 was and remains the most sublime page of Romanian history. Its greatness lies in the fact that perfection is not the work of national unity nor a politician, to any government, any party, is a historical fact entire Romanian nation, accomplished in a burst of enthusiasm from the depths of consciousness unity of power, a controlled by political leaders impetus for the remarkable political intelligence to guide the desired goal. [...]



Grand Union was not the result of Romania's participation in war. No partisan Entente, nor of the Central Powers have not considered the Russian revolution and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Their reasoning was part of the traditional formula Interstate Power report: Entente victory will give us Bukovina, Transylvania and Banat, Central Powers victory will give us Bessarabia, a victory exclude the other, so that nobody would see as possible for all these provinces border to enter almost simultaneously in the Old Kingdom. [...]

Not a military victory was the foundation of Great Romania, but the act of the will of the Romanian nation to give institutional reinforcement is territorial national state .[...]

A historical necessity - the nation must live in a nation-state - was more powerful than any government or party, guilty of selfishness or incompetence, and setting in motion the nation that gave him enormous power over all the adversities that life aspiration to give his national state