The policy of modern Rumania was dom inated by the German plan of expansion toward the East. King Charles, being a Hohenzollern, retained feelings of closest intimacy with the Austrian emperor, Franz Joseph. But as early as 1907 forces within Rumania had begun to turn her away from Austria and set her toward Prance. In that year a very serious outbreak had taken place among the peasants which re sulted in much needed agrarian reforms. Moreover, disatisfaction had been growing with the governments at Vienna and Budapest. The Magyars had been more than ever annoy ing the Rumanians of Transylvania, and Aus tria was'discriminating against Rumanian com merce. At the beginning of the Balkan War (1912) Rumania was an interested onlooker of the struggle which the other Balkan states were waging against Turkey, but she Joined Serbia and Greece in the second Balkan War against Bulgaria. As a result Rumania got the Dobrudja region north and east of a line drawn from Turtukai to Baltchik. Fear of Bulgarian revenge caused Rumania, Serbia and Greece to draw more closely together, and Rumania was now recognized as the leading Balkan power according to the Treaty of Bu charest (10 Aug. 1913), On 10 Oct. 1914 King Charles died and was succeeded by the Crown Prince, Ferdinand. In the first year of the Great War Rumania had announced a policy of strict neutrality. Although she maintained her neutral attitude during the Teutonic drive into the Balkans (1915), she was drawn into the conflict the following year, only to collapse in the fall of 1916, upholding the claims of the Rumanians of Transylvania. After the out break of the Russian Revolution (15 March 1917) and the subsequent Brest-Litovsk Treaty (3 March 1918), Rumania was forced to come to terms with Germany. The only alternative left to the country if the conditions were re fused was to submit to seizure by the Central Powers. Under the peace treaty (6 May 1918) Rumania was compelled to give back to Bul garia that part of Dubruja which had passed to Rumania by the of Bucharest of 1913. The northern section of Dobrudja, which in cludes the mouth of the Danube and Rumania's only outlet to the Black Sea, was ceded to the Central Powers, to administer through a mixed commission. In addition wheat, salt and petro
leum concessions were made to Germany; and Austria-Hungary profited by the arectiftra tion)) of the Transylvanian frontier, to the ex tent of gaining important mountain passes and valuable mineral lands. As for Bessarabia, Austria had declared, during negotiations, that Rumania would be compensated for loss of the Transylvanian boundary territory by taking the southern ;art of Bessarabia., This latter try, one of the richest farm lands of what was formerly Russia had been so badly ravaged by Bolshevik troops that the Rumanians had been called upon for help by the Bessarabians. As a result the whole of Bessarabia voted (St April 1918) almost unanimously for union with, Rumania.
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Mitavov Smnovavicn, Former Assistant Professor at Zatlelar College, Serbia.