June 1940 Soviet Ultimatum

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The June 1940 Soviet Ultimatum was issued by the Soviet Union to Romania, regarding the Soviet territorial requests. Without any previous negotiations, the Soviet Union in an ultimatum note to Romania demanded Bessarabia and the northern part of Bukovina.

1 Background
2 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
3 Aftermath
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Background

After the collapse of the Russian Empire and Austria-Hungary, both Bessarabia and Bukovina had been annexed by the Kingdom of Romania in 1918. This was internationally recognized by peace treaties after World War I, signed by Great Britain and France.

Lenin had initially supported the right of self-determination for the people included in the former Tsarist empire, of which Bessarabia had been a part. However Soviet Russia did not recognize the union of Bessarabia and Romania, but never mentioned any claims to Bukovina, which had previously been part of Austria-Hungary.

In the meantime, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed on the left bank of the Dniester river in 1924 by the Soviet government. This was seen by the Romanian government as another Soviet threat.

On July 21, 1936, Maxim Litvinov and Nicolae Titulescu, the Soviet and Romanian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, signed a "Protocol of Mutual Assistance", which was interpreted as a non-aggression treaty between Romania and the Soviet Union, that de facto recognized the existing Soviet-Romanian border. The protocol stipulated that any common Romanian-Soviet action should be priorly approved by France. In negotiating with the Soviet Union, Titulescu was highly criticized by the Romanian far-right. However, both Titulescu and Litvinov were dismissed in 1936, respectively 1939.

[edit] Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact

In the secret appendix of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the Soviet Union asserted "its interest" in Bessarabia, and Germany "declares its complete political disinteredness in these areas". In June 1940, just days before the Soviet ultimatum, France's surrender and Britain's retreat from Europe rendered meaningless their assurances to Romania. On June 2, Germany informed the Romanian government that in order to receive territorial guarantees, Romania should consider negotiations with the Soviet Union.

The German Minister of Foreign Affairs Joachim von Ribbentrop was informed by the Soviet intentions regarding Bessarabia and Bukovina on June 24. Ribbentrop worried more for the fate of the ethnic Germans in these two provinces, alleging the number of Germans in Bessarabia to be 100,000. Also, Ribbentrop pointed out clearly that Germany has strong economical interests in the rest of Romanian territory, in what could appear as a partition of Romania between Germany and the Soviet Union.

The text of the ultimatum note of June 26 distorted the demographic realities, alleging that Bessarabia is populated mainly by Ukrainians. The Soviet Government demanded the northern part of Bukovina, a province considered to be connected with Galicia that had been annexed by the Soviet Union in 1939, in the effect of the Invasion of Poland. The northern part of Bukovina was requested as a minor "reparation for the great loss produced to the Soviet Union and Bessarabia's population by 22 years of Romanian domination of Bessarabia".

The Soviet ultimatum note of June 27 requested the evacuation of the Romanian government from Bessarabia and northern Bukovina in four days. On the next day, advised by both Germany and Italy, the Romanian government, led by Gheorghe Tătărescu under the rule of King Carol II, agreed to submit to the Soviet demands and the territory was ceded at the beginning of July.

On August 2, the Soviet government created the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, with its capital at Chişinău, by joining the central part of Bessarabia with the western part of the Moldavian ASSR, created within the Ukrainian SSR in 1924. The northern Bukovina and Bessarabia, the southern Bessarabia (including access points to the Black Sea, the mouth of Danube, and Nistru estuary) and the rest of the Moldavian ASSR were partitioned to Ukrainian SSR.

[edit] Aftermath

The territorial concessions of that year (1940) produced deep sorrow and resentment in the Romanian population, and hastened the decline in popularity of the regime led by King Carol II of Romania. He eventually fled the country and a government led by the Iron Guard and Ion Antonescu took power. Overall, the desire to recapture lost territory was the deciding factor leading to the entry of Romania into World War II on the side of the Axis against the Soviet Union.