he Great War was a major turning point for virtually all European countries, but not too many of them enjoyed a positive outcome. Although it took two years for Romania to enter the war and another two for the conflict to reach a conclusion, the result was an unlikely unification of its historical lands and the beginning of the most prosperous period in the nation’s history.
A FRAGILE INDEPENDENCE
Romania’s geographical location on the eastern side of Europe meant that it always had its fair share of conflict. By the end of the 19th century it seemed like things were finally about to take a positive turn, after ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza managed to unite the regions of Wallachia and Moldavia under one flag, into a nation that will eventually be recognized as Romania.
Almost two decades later, in 1877, Romania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire, after centuries of resisting their constant attempts of assimilating its lands. Although it was a huge step forward for the Romanian people, it came with a caveat, as the only way of protecting this fragile independence was by striking an alliance in 1883 with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who had earlier conquered the historically Romanian land of Transylvania.
Despite it being a huge compromise and leaving a huge chunk of Romania’s land and population in the hands of the Austro-Hungarians, the alliance was absolutely crucial for multiple reasons. Aside from keeping the Ottomans at bay, it was also meant to deter the ever-expansionist goals of Russia.
