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| WorldWar2.ro Forum > Romania in World War II 1941-1945 > 1. Argument |
| Posted by: dragos December 18, 2003 08:02 pm |
| by Alesandru Dutu
Although very soon we shall say "more than 50 years have passed since World War II broke out", the interest in studying the causes, sequences and consequences of the greatest world conflagration is still actual. And this is so both out of the wish and requirement of knowing how things happened and of finding concrete explanation to certain valid things and phenomena still of interest nowadays. The interest for studying the War, as a whole, is a major one in Romania, too. For a long time some foreign historians - lacking any veridical documents and proofs - presented Romania as a,"warrior" and "imperialist" country, whose activites between the two world wars dealt with preparations aimed attacking its neighbours to steal parts of their territories. This unrealistic position has been categorically denied by all documents, by Romanian people's position who have unanimously and resolutety done away with the concept of an aggresive warfare on their own or in alliance with other states. Reality has shown that the only admitted goal of a war - in accordance with Romanian interwar doctrine was the legitimate war which corresponded to our national interests: the Safeguard War against any aggression that might have endangered Romanian State's unity, its independence and integrity. It is in this respect that all political treaties and conventions in which Romania was a signatory part had a profund defensive character, in agreement with its foreign policy principles and provisions of the Nations League's Pact. Despite all these, during the summer and autumn of 1940, one year after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed (The Pact established Soviet and German spheres of influence in Eastern Europe and isolated Romania more than before), our country became the victim of a massive and direct diplomatic and military aggression, the outcome of which was the following: it had to renounce to about 100,000 square km and 7,000,000 inhabitants which meant 33% of its territory and population. Under these circumstances, Romania's engagement in the war, on June 22,1941, on Germany's side (that had given previous guarantees to preserve the rest of the Romanian State) is not to be seen as a desire to annex territories which never belonged to Romania. It should not be perceived as an action aiming at world or regional hegemony either mainly, for Romania, war had a character of re-making and re-establishing Romanian nation's unity. Romania's taking part in a war beyond the natural bounders of the country was also determined by the requirements of a Coalition war alongside much more powerful allies as well as by the necessity of strengthening its restored bounders. Romanian interest in studying the war is also enhanced by special circumstances our country had to deal with; it was initialy Germany's ally and afterwards, after August 23, 1944, Soviet Union's one, but each time aiming at regaining its territories lost in 1940. It is also enhanced by the fact that during a very long time. Romania's taking part in the war was practically unknown. A lot of questions arise also from the issue of including Romania in the Soviet sphere of influence, together with the refusal to recognize its sacrifices after joining the United Nations coalition, due to the fact that Romania was not considered, finally, a cobelligerent state. This injustice with negative consequences on the future evolution of Romanian people could not change reality, the undoubted truth speaking of the massive military and economic-financial effort made by Romania during the final stage of the war, when it joined the Allies. It was thus possible for them to shorten the war six months, as Radio Paris broadcasted on January 13th, 1946. |