BESSARABIA, a province of Rumania extending from Poland on the north, about lat. 48.3° N., to the Black sea, and lying between the Pruth and Dniester rivers. The latter divides it from the Ukrainian and Moldavian autonomous republics of the Russian federation, while the former separates it from the Ru manian province of Moldavia. After the Russian revolution of Oct. 1917, the National Council of Bessarabia declared a Mol davian Democratic Republic, forming part of the R.S.F.S.R., but later Bessarabia first declared herself entirely independent and in Nov. 1918, agreed to unconditional incorporation with Rumania. The Treaty of Paris Oct. 28, 1920 signed by the British empire, France, Italy and Japan recognized this incorporation, but the United States of America stood aside from the treaty on the ground that there was no representative of the Russian government to state the Russian side of the case. Russia still regards Bessa rabia as "occupied territory," and no settlement was reached between the Russian and Rumanian delegates when they met in Genoa in 1922 and in Vienna in 1924. Thus at present (1928) the province is in a state of military occupation,- with Soviet pickets on the left bank of the Dniester, and Rumanian pickets on the right, Kishinev being the headquarters of the Rumanian military. The situation is disastrous to the commerce of both countries, but is particularly so for the province of Bessarabia, since the Dniester was formerly the main artery for Bessarabian grain and wool. Three Bessarabian railways were arranged to converge on Odessa, while the fourth linked with Akkerman (Cetatea Alba) and thence by sea with Odessa. The latter town formed the natural outlet for Bessarabian cereals, fruit and wine, which found a ready market in Russia, but which are less easily disposed of to agricultural Rumania.
Bessarabia consists of (I) the black-earth agricultural region of the Volhynian-Podolian plateau (85o to 1,15o ft.) in the north (2) the central area, deeply dissected by north-west to south-east tributaries of the Dniester, and shorter north-east to south-west tributaries of the Pruth. The soil is mainly podzol, with marshy soils in the valleys especially that of the Reut : this region is thickly forested with beech, oak and mountain ash, and with birch in places. (3) the Budjak steppe area, south of the line of old Roman earthworks which extend from Leovo. the limit of navigation on the Pruth river, almost to the junction of the Botna river with the Dniester river. The steppe merges into the sandy soils, saltmarshes and lagoons of the coastal area. The climate is extreme, with a rainfall of about 25 in. per annum. The average January temperature at Kishinev is 2 7 ° F, July 7 2 ° F.
Agriculture is the main occupation, with maize and wheat as the chief grain crops. Fruit growing is widespread, the Bessarabian plum being particularly fine. Except in the north, vineyards are widespread, though the local wine is sour and liable to go bad dur ing transport. Tobacco, barley, flax, watermelons, saffron and madder are grown. In the steppe pasture-lands sheep, cattle, horses, goats, pigs and buffaloes are reared, though their numbers have greatly diminished since 1915, when there were nearly 3,000, 00o head in the country. Wool and woollen cloth are exported, and there are small manufactures of leather, soap and irongoods. Fish ing is productive near the Shabalat and Dniester limans. Marble is quarried and salt and saltpetre worked.
The economic life of Bessarabia has been much disturbed by the 1914-192 i war conditions, and by the continued severance of trade relations with Russia. Administrative changes have meant radical alterations in the life of the people ; new currency has had to be adopted; the old zemstvos and volosts (district and sub district councils) have been replaced by prefects and sub-prefects appointed from Bucharest ; there has been expropriation of all private estates over i oo hectares in extent. Communications, formerly poor, are still worse now, partly because the railways are of a different gauge from those in the rest of Rumania and partly because they do not link with Rumanian ports. In addition the Dniester is no longer available for trade.
The area of Bessarabia is 44,42o sq.km. and its population in 193o was 2,865,506. Of these Moldavians form about 5o%, and Ukrainians about 2o%, and there are also Jews, Russians, Bul garians and Germans; colonies of the latter settled in the Budjak steppe to the west of Akkerman in 1814. Nomad gypsies (tsigane) also inhabit the steppe. The chief towns are Kishinev (Chisinau), the capital, on the Byk river, Hotin, Bender and Akerman (Cetatea Alba) three river ports on the Dniester; Ismail (Tuch kof), Reni and Kagul, river ports on the Pruth. Balti (Byeltsi) on the Reut, is also of some importance.
The original inhabitants were Cimmerians, and after them came Scythians. In early Christian times Bessarabia, a key to the Byzantine empire, was often invaded. In the end century it was occupied by the Getae, a Thracian tribe, whom the Roman em peror Trajan conquered in io6; he then incorporated the region in the province of Dacia. In the following century the Goths poured into this quarter of the empire, and in the 5th century it was overrun by Huns, Avars and Bulgarians. Then followed in the 7th century the Bessi, a Thracian tribe, who gave their name to the region, and in the 9th the Ugrians, the ancestors of the present Magyars, the country being then known as Atel-kuzu. The Ugrians were forced farther west by the Turkish tribe of the Petchenegs in the 1 oth century, and these were succeeded in the 11th century by the Kumans (Comani) or Polovtsians, a kin dred Turkish stock or federation. In the 13th century Bessarabia was overrun by Mongols under the leadership of Batu, grandson of Jenghiz Khan. In this century also the Genoese founded trad ing factories on the banks of the Dniester. In 1367 Bessarabia was subdued and annexed by the ruling prince of Moldavia. Dur ing the 16th century it was in possession alternately of Turks and Nogais or Crimean Tatars. From early in the i8th century it was a bone of contention between Ottoman Turks and Russians, the latter capturing it five times between 1711 and 1812. In the latter year it was definitely annexed to Russia, and in 1829 its frontier was pushed southwards so as to include the delta of the Danube. After the Crimean War, however, Russia ceded to Moldavia not only this later addition, but also certain districts in the south of the existing government, amounting altogether to an area of 4,25o sq.m., and a pop. of i8o,000. By the treaty of Berlin (18 78) Russia recovered 3, 58o sq.m., with pop. 12 7,000.
The history of Bessarabia goes back to the early Christian era, when it was already a bulwark of Christian Europe against the barbarians. Traces of the walls erected by the Emperor Trajan to protect the old Roman colony of Dacia still exist in the south ern extremity of the province. Later, fortified towns such as Hotin (Khotin), Soroca, Tighina (Bender) and Cetatea Alba (the Turkish Akerman) were built and maintained under alternating Rumanian princes and Turkish suzerains until, in 1812, Russia, in pursuance of the policy initiated by Catherine II. of extending Russian territory eastward at the expense of the Turkish empire, and to obtain command of the mouth of the Danube, annexed the province now known as Bessarabia and, under the Treaty of Bucharest, left the Turks in possession of that portion of the Principality of Moldavia to the west of the Pruth.
Annexation by Russia.—Although the annexation was styled by the Russians "the delivery of the Moldavians from the pagan yoke of Turkey" (see Casso's Russia to the Danube, Moscow, 1913) it is significant that, fearing the introduction of serfdom, an exodus of the peasantry commenced forthwith, only to be checked by drastic measures on the part of the Turks who, declaring the Russian portion of the province to be contaminated by the plague, put to the sword all who crossed the Pruth.
Thus, for over a century the province continued under Russian domination (except three southern districts restored to Rumania in 1856 after the Crimean War, which, however, were taken back by Russia in 1877 in exchange for the Dobrudja), becoming slowly Russianized and more or less satisfied with its lot. It must, how ever, be remembered that the Russian population in the province was small, consisting solely of landed proprietors and the officials and military required to administer and garrison the province. For the rest, the population consisted—as to-day—of compact masses of Moldavians and scattered colonies of Bulgars, Tartars, Ruthe nians and Germans. The towns were populated with Jews, who by Russian edict were forced to live in the provinces and for bidden residence in the capital and larger towns of Russia.
Union with Rumania.—With the fall of the Imperial regime in 19 i 7 and the establishment of the Soviet republics, the leading Bessarabians declared for autonomy, and a National Council (Sfatul Tarei) was formed. Fearing, however, that the wave of terrorism following the collapse of the Russian army in the field would swamp the province, appeal was made to Rumania for military assistance in guarding the railways and keeping order. This was forthcoming conditionally on eventual union with Ru mania, and on Jan. 24, 1918, as an initial step to this end, the National Bessarabian Council declared the province to be the "Independent Moldavian Republic" and renounced all connec tion with the Soviet Union. On Nov. 27, 1918, "Sfatul Tarei" held its last session and decided that Bessarabia should, volun tarily and unconditionally, be united to Rumania. Elections took place in 1919 and Bessarabian representatives were sent for the first time to the central National Assembly at Bucharest.
The union of the province was not recognized by the Allied Powers until March 1920. On Oct. 28 of that year a treaty was executed and signed by England, France, Italy, Rumania and Japan, giving concrete form to this recognition. The treaty was soon ratified by France and England, and on March 14, 1927, by Italy; Japan still withholding final approval. The U.S.S.R. never acknowledged the union of Bessarabia with Rumania, maintain ing the province to be an integral part of the old Imperial terri tory now under Soviet rule, and holding invalid the act of "Sfatul Tarei" in voting for union with Rumania. Rumania, however, asserted that the action of the Bessarabians who, simultaneously with the Esthonians, Lettonians and Ukrainians, adopted the principle of self-determination, could in no way be described as a Bolshevik movement but as a Moldavian national one, and that their choice of union with Rumania should consequently be re spected.