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The Russian Revolution and the Rumanian Socialist Movement,1917-1918

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 January 2017

Keith Hitchins
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Extract

The collapse of the Russian monarchy in February and the overthrow of the Provisional Government in October 1917 confronted Rumanian leaders with the prospect of a violent change in their own country. Rumania’s participation in the First World War on the side of the Entente had by February 1917 resulted in a succession of military defeats and the occupation of two-thirds of the country, including Bucharest, by German and Austro-Hungarian forces. The court and most of the leading politicians had taken refuge in Iasi, the chief city of Moldavia, located only a few miles from the Russian border. A Russian army of about a million men and a reorganized Rumanian field army of some eighteen divisions manned a newly stabilized front which stretched from Bukovina in the north along the eastern slopes of the Carpathians to southern Moldavia

Type
Articles
Information
Slavic Review , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , June 1968 , pp. 268 - 289
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. 1968

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References

This is a revised version of a paper read at the eighty-second meeting of the American Historical Association held in Toronto on December 28-30, 1967.

1 Two works in English mention the problem: Roberts, Henry L., Rumania: Political Problems of an Agrarian State (New Haven, 1951), pp. 245–47 Google Scholar, and Ionescu, Ghita, Communism in Rumania 1944-1965 (London, 1964), pp. 4–17 Google Scholar. A history of Rumanian socialism has yet to be written. Constantine Petrescu, Titel, Socialismul în România (Bucharest [1945])Google Scholar, is the only attempt at a general survey covering the movement from its origins in the first half of the nineteenth century down to the beginning of the Second World War. It contains much valuable information but is fragmentary and poorly organized.

2 K. Arbori-Ralli, “Die sozialistische Bewegung in Rumänien,” Die kommunistische Internationale, I, No. 7-8 (Nov.-Dec. 1919), 84-85; Petrescu, p. 290.

3 T. Georgescu and V. Liveanu, “Ideile Leninismului—far călăuzitor in lupta pentru crea rea Partidului Comunist din Romînia,” in Studii si articole de istorie, IV (Bucharest, 1962), 291.

4 C. Mocanu and A. Mosco, “Inceputurile raspindirii leninismului in Romînia,” in Analele Instituttdui de Istorie a Partidului de pe lîngă C.C. al P.M.R., V, No. 2 (1959), 61-62 (hereafter Analele).

5 V. Rată and A. Dcac, “Traditiile revolutionare de luptă ale miscării muncitoresti din Romînia pîna la 1917,” in Analele, VII, No. 1-2 (1961), 71.

6 Lupta (Bucharest), Feb. 12, 1916.

7 Ibid., April 1 and 2, 1916.

8 Mihai Gh. Bujor, “Lupta pentru apărarea Revolutiei ruse (1917-1919),” in Contribute la studitd influentei Marii Revolutii Socialiste din Octombrie în Romînia (Bucharest, 1957), P. 59.

9 Z. Zaharia, “Unele acjiuni revolutionare în rcgiunea Bacău in perioada fcbruarie-octombric 1917” in Studii si articole de istorie, IV (1962), 276-77.

10 See M. S. Frenkin, Revoliutsionnoe dtnzhenie na rumynskom fronte igiy g.—mart 1918 g. (Moscow, 1965), pp. 71-101, for an account of this movement between March and June 1917 among the soldiers of the Russian Eighth Army stationed in Bukovina and northern Moldavia.

11 V. Liveanu, “Influenta revolutiei ruse din februarie 1917 în Romînia,” Studii: Revista de Istorie, IX, No. 1 (1956), 21.

12 Clara Cusnir-Mihailovici, Miscarea muncitoreasd din Romînia intre anii igfj-igsi: Crearea P.C.R. (Bucharest, i960), pp. 113-16.

13 Livcanu, “Influenta,” p. 22.

14 Lupta (Odessa), Sept. 19, Oct. 6 and 13, 1917.

15 Documents din istoria Partidului Comunist din Romînia, igiy-igss, I (2d cd.; Bucharest, 1956), 15-16.

16 Ibid., p. 13.

17 Probably a reference to King Ferdinand's appeal to his troops in April 1917.

18 Documents din istoria P.C.R., I, 12.

19 Documents din istoria miscării muncitoresti din România, 1916-1921 (Bucharest, 1966), p. 59.

20 Lupta, Oct. 22, 1917.

21 Ibid., Oct. 24, 1917.

22 Ibid., Oct. 27, 1917.

23 Ibid., Nov. 5 and 16, 1917.

24 Ibid., Nov. 18 and Dec. 18, 1917.

25 Ibid., Dec. 9 and 14, 1917.

26 Ibid., Dec. 31, 1917.

27 The term Moldavian is used here to describe the Rumanian population living between the Prut and Dniester Rivers. The occupation of Bessarabia by the Rumanian army in January and February is succinctly described in Constantin Kiritescu, Istoria războitdui pentru întregirea României 1916-1919, III (2d ed.; Bucharest, n.d.), pp. 83-108.

28 Ocherki istorii kommunisticheskoipartii Moldavii (Kishinev, 1964), pp. 47-53.

29 Liveanu, “Influenza,” pp. 31-32.

30 Public Record Office/Foreign Office 371. France. Military. Lord Bertie (Paris), Oct. 16,

31 N. Iorga, Memorii, I (Bucharest, n.d.), 35, 83, 151-52- Alexandru Marghiloman, Note politice, III (Bucharest, 1927), 222.

32 Mitrany, David, The Land and the Peasant in Rumania (London, 1930), p. 102 Google Scholar, n. 1; Livcanu, “Influenta,” p. 38.

33 P.R.O./F-O. 371. France. Military. Dispatches from Lord Bertie (Paris), Oct. 16 and Dec. 27, 1917, and Feb. 20, 1918; ibid., copy of a dispatch from Prime Minister Ion Bratianu to the Rumanian Legation in London, Jassy, Dec. 4, 1917.

34 The considerable literature on events in Bessarabia during this period betrays either a pro- Rumanian or pro-Moldavian nationalist bias or hostility to both and a glorification of Bolshevik aims and accomplishments. For the Rumanian nationalist point of view see Cazacu, P., Moldova dintre Prut si Nistru 1812-1918 (Iasi, n.d.), pp. 183–343 Google Scholar; Nistor, Ion I., Istoria Basarabiei (Cernauti, 1923), pp. 407–36 Google Scholar; and Kiritescu, III, 60-80. A recent Soviet account is S. la. Aftcniuk, et al., Revoliutsionnoe dvizhenie v igij godu i ustanovlenie sovetskoi vlasti v Moldavii (Kishinev, 1964)Google Scholar, passim, esp. pp. 201-16; it also contains a brief discussion of other Soviet works on the subject on pp. 11-19.

35 An abbreviated name for the political committee of the Russian army formed by revolutionaries in May 1917 to represent soldiers on the Rumanian front, in the Black Sea Fleet, and in the Odessa region.

36 I. G. Dykov, “Bor'ba rabochikh i krcst'ian za vlast sovetov v Moldavii,” in Ustanovlenie sovetskoi vlasti na mestakh v 1917-1918gg., Part 2 (Moscow, 1959), pp. 720-21.

37 Documents din istoria P.C.R., I, 33-37.

38 I. G. Dykov, “Rumcherod i bor'ba za ustanovlenie sovetskoi vlasti na rumynskom fronte, “ Istoricheskie Zapiski, No. 57 (Moscow, 1956), p. 29.

39 Ibid., p. 29, citingIestiia OdesskogoSoveta, Jan. 25, igiS;Lupta, Jan. 10, 1918.

40 Lupta, Jan. 28, 1918.

41 “Amintiri ale fostilor voluntari romini in Armata Rosie din timpul Marii Revolutii Socialiste din Octombrie si a razboiului civil,” Analele, III, No. 3 (1957), 3-16; No. 4, 105-32.

42 The activities of Czechoslovak and Yugoslav socialist “internationalists” have been treated in two recent Soviet publications: Klevanskii, A. Kh., Chekhoslovatskie internatsionalisty iprodannyi korpus: Chekhoslovatskie politicheskie organizatsii i voinskie formirovaniia v Rossii, 1914-1951 gg. (Moscow, 1965)Google Scholar; and Ochak, I. D., Iugoslavianskie internatsionalisty v bor'be za pobedu sovetskoi vlasti v Rossii (79/7-/92/ gody) (Moscow, 1966)Google Scholar. Soviet historians have not given comparable attention to the Rumanians.

43 Deutsch, R, “Din activitatea si lupta grupurilor revolutionarilor romini din Rusia pentru apararea puterii sovietice (1917-1920),” in Studii si materiale de istorie contemporană, II (Bucharest, 1962), 446 Google Scholar; Glugovskii, A. N.,” Iz istorii rumynskikh kommunisticheskikh organizatsii i internatsional'nykh chastei na territorii Sovctskoi Rossii (1918-1920 gg.)” Novaia i Noveishaia Istoriia, No. 3, 1957, p. 15.Google Scholar

44 Dcutsch, pp. 442-43.

45 V . Chercstcsiu, “Patrunderea idcilor Marii Revolutii Socialiste din Octombrie in masclc din Transilvania,” Anuarul Institutului de Istorie din Cluj, I—II (1958-59), 252-53.

46 Cum s1 a prăpădit (ara (n.p.), pp. 2 3 - 2 4 , 28.

47 Ibid., p. 5.

48 Ibid., pp. 34-36.

49 Chercste§iu, pp. 253-54.

50 Deutsch, p. 443.

51 V. A. Kondrat'ev, “Rumynskii internationalist I. O. Dik-Dichesku,” Novaia i Noveishaia Istoriia, No. 3, 1961, pp. 109-10.

52 Cherestcsiu, p. 258, cites Foaia tăranului, No. 6, April 28, 1918, and Népszava (Tomsk), May 12, 1918; sec also Cherestesiu, pp. 259-60.

53 Deutsch, p. 450, cites Pravda, Aug. 6, 1918.

54 Documents din istoria P.C.R., I, 105.

55 Ibid., pp. 106-7.

56 Constantinescu, Cartea robilor (2d ed.; Bucharest, 1919). The first edition was published in 1918.

57 Georgescu and Liveanu, Ideile Leninismului, p. 292.

58 Documente din istoria P.C.R., I, 27-28.

59 V. Liveanu, 1918: Din istoria luptelor revolutionare din Romînia (Bucharest, i960), pp. 263, 265.

60 Petrescu, p. 292.

61 Liveanu, 1918, p. 271.

62 Ibid., p. 273.

63 Documents din istoria miscarii muncitoresti din România, 1916-1921, pp. 85-86, 92-97, 105-9.

64 Bundesarchiv (Koblenz). Militararchiv. Sammlung 1. Weltkrieg. Balkan. Stimmungsberichte der Dicnststellen des Oberkommando Mackensen (OKM) über die politische Lage in Rumänien. Bukarest, Oct. 25, 1918. The agent noted that although the intellectuals of the capital did not take the efforts of the “maximalists” seriously, they were a threat to public tranquillity and suggested that the occupation authorities take stern measures against them. This may be contrasted with earlier reports of German military authorities from June to August 1918 which either made no mention at all of “maximalist activities” or regarded them as insignificant. See ibid., Wochenberichte der Politischen Polizei, OKM, über die Lage in Rumänien, June 2-Nov. 11, 1918: Bukarest, Aug. 24, 1918.

65 Documente din istoria P.C.R., I, 67-89; a brochure entitled “Un an de le revolutia rusă, “ published in November 1918 by a group styling itself “The Communist Workers of Rumania.“

66 Documente din istoria miscarii muncitoresti din România, 1916-1921, pp. 131-33; an article entitled “Comunismul,” Dec’ 12/25, 1918.'

67 Bundesarchiv. Stimmungsberichte, Bukarest, Oct. 24, 25, 26, and 31, 1918.

68 Documente din istoria P.C.R., I, 72.

69 Ibid., pp. 94-99: “Declaratii de Principii.“

70 For the peasant movement in 1918 see Kovícs, Iosif, “Date cu privire la lupta taranimii din Transilvania In toamna anului 1918,” in Anuarul Institutului de Istorie din Cluj, I—II (1958-59), 313–44Google Scholar. The workers’ movement for the same period is discussed in Cimponeriu, E, “Din luptele muncitorilor resiteni in anii avintului revolutionar (1917-1921),” in Studii si materiale de istorie contemporana, II, 83–102 Google Scholar; and M. Kertész and Gr. Chirita,” Momente din luptele minerilor din Valca Jiului in anii 1917-1920,” ibid., 43-67.

71 Documente din istoria miscării muncitoresti din România, igi6-igsi, pp. 63-65.

72 Documente din istoria P.C.R., I, 28-29: 'an article published in Adevărul on Nov. 26, 1917.

73 Telegraful Român, Nov. 16/29, 1917, p. 384.

74 A magyar munkásmozgalom történtécnek válogatott dokumentumai, V (Budapest, 1956), 135-36, 165-66; Cherestesiu, pp. 264-66; Cunir-Mihailovici, p. 138.

75 Liveanu, 1918, pp. 478-505.

76 Docutnente din istoria miscării muncitoresti din România, 1916-1921, pp. 141-42: article in Adevarul, Dec. 23, 1918/Jan. 5, 1919.

77 Ibid., pp. 128-29: article in Adevarul, Dec. 9/22 , 1918.

78 Liveanu, 1918, pp. 521-22; Fl. Dragne, “Momente din activitatea desfasurata la sate de militantii aripii revolutionare a mis.carii muncitoresti in frunte cu grupurile comuniste,” in Studii si materiale de istorie contemporana, II, 20-21.

79 Documente din istoria P.C.R., pp. 108-10.

80 Arbori-Ralli, p. 89; Cuşnir-Mihailovici, p. 166; Liveanu, 1918, p. 599.