The History Of Romania In Brief
Getting to know the history of a nation is a must if you are interested in understanding its people. The history of Romania is the history of the events that took place from ancient times, i.e. the third century B.C. to the present day, when the modern day nation state of Romania that you see on the map evolved after going through many turmoils, and its boundaries got redrawn a number of times. It is also the history of its people, the very people, who gave Romania national identity and distinct cultural flavor.
At the end of the third century B.C., the region now covered by Romania was populated by people of Dacia, who were of Thracian origin. During the rule of Burebista (82 - 44 B.C.), the first state was founded in this region. The new state, however, had to face a formidable foe in the dominant power of that time, the Roman Empire. After a series of conflicts the state was finally annexed by the Romans during the reign of Emperor Trajan.
After that, migratory peoples ravaged this land, and then up to 1541 Romanians were controlled by Turkey. Between the tenth and the twelfth centuries Romania was ruled by Hungarians. In 1600, there were three counties in Romania: Moldavia, Transylvania and Walachia. They were united under the rule of Michael the Brave but for a short time. The next people, who ruled Romania, were the Austrians, until 1775 and in 1812 the Russians occupied them.
Furthermore, brief Romanian history lets you know that in 1848 there was a great revolution in order to win independence. Then, in 1859, Alexander John Cuza succeeded to unite Moldavia and Walachia.
Romania gained independence in the year 1877. During the First World War it sided with the Allies in 1916. At the end of the War in 1918, Transylvania was added to it.
Therefore, in 1916 Romania joined the First World War, as allied to Antanta. At the end of the war, the Austrian Hungarian and Russian empires disappeared and two other lands added to Romania: Bessarabia and Bucovina.
From 1938 to 1944 Romania was involved in the Second World War. During this time a king, who was forced to leave his throne in 1940 out of political reasons, ruled Romania. At the end of the Second World War, Transylvania belonged to Romania, but they lost part of Bucovina, Bessarabia and Dobrogea.
Though Romania became a part of the Soviet Bloc in the post war period, it still retained a degree of independence in its policies. When Nicolai Ceaucescu came to power in 1967, it seemed that dark ages had returned to haunt Romania. Romania was a socialist republic during his infamous regime, and all the negative experiences of a communist state seemed to converge on Romania. Widespread hunger and deprivation seemed to be the order of a day, even as his authoritarian rule clamped down on television and the freedom of expression. There was no freedom of worship either, and, in fact, many churches were pulled down.
However, nowadays this period is controversial, as there are nostalgic people who believe that nowadays things are worse in Romania. So in December 1989, on Christmas day, Nicolai Ceausescu and his wife Elena Ceausescu were executed after a sort of made up trial.
Romania today is a democratic republic, and since 1989 three presidents have come to power - Ion Iliescu, Emil Constantinescu, and the present incumbent since 2004, Trajan Basescu. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and became a member of the European Union in 2007.
This brief Romanian history can help you get a picture of events in this small area of the world.
