Moldovenism

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Moldovenism a political ideology that claims a distinct identity for the Moldovans from Romanians.

Contents

[edit] Early history

The factual accuracy of this article is disputed.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.

The basis of Moldovenism can be found in the partition of the Principality of Moldavia in 1812, when the eastern half of Moldavia was transferred to the Russian Empire, where it was known as Bessarabia. At that point the concept of a Romanian ethnicity was not fully forged: no Romanian nation existed, and the people of Bessarabia, similarly to the other Moldavians across the Prut River, continued to view themselves as Moldovans, which had a geographical rather than an ethnic meaning. After the union of the Romanian Principalities in 1859 and the creation of Romania, the term Moldovan as an ethnic descriptor gradually fell out of use in Romania[citation needed][dubious — see talk page], while it was preserved in Bessarabia[citation needed][dubious — see talk page].

This doctrine was reinforced in the 1920s in the Moldavian ASSR by a group of political and cultural activists who sought the support of Stalin[citation needed][dubious — see talk page], although its form has changed during various periods. The evolution of the Moldovenist ideology in part revolved around the development of the Moldovan language[citation needed][dubious — see talk page].

[edit] Moldovenism in independent Moldova

The debate surrounding the nationality of the Moldovans has resurfaced after the collapse of the USSR. One side argues that Moldovans have always been Romanians, despite the region's modern history separate from Romania. The other side emphasizes the distinctiveness of Moldovans. Some argue that Moldovans have always been separate from Wallachians and that the Moldovans from Moldova and Romania thus form a common ethnic group distinct from the other peoples known as Romanians; others state that the Moldovans from Bessarabia have changed due to their long isolation from Romania and that nearly two centuries of political separation was "more than ample time for each country to develop its own separate national identity" [1]

On 19 December 2003, the Moldovan Parliament adopted a controversial document called "The Concept on National Policy of the Republic of Moldova", which defines the official nationality policy of Moldova. The document revolves around the following ideas:

  • there are two different peoples (Romanians and Moldovans) that live in both Moldova and Romania, speaking two different languages, Romanian and Moldovan.
  • Romanians are an ethnic minority in Moldova.
  • the Republic of Moldova is the rightful successor of the medieval Principality of Moldova.

This document has been criticised by part of the press and human rights organizations for being "anti-European" and also contradicting Article V of the Moldovan Constitution, which states that "no ideology may be pronounced as official ideology of the State". [2]

On the other hand, former Romanian president Ion Iliescu spoke about “two Romanian states, with a joint birth, culture and history”.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Moldovan: An Identity but not a Language"
  2. ^ Gribincea A., Grecu, M. The Concept on National Policy of the Republic of Moldova UNHCR.

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

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