Rejecting the Soviet Ultimatum in 1940, Implications

[sid guttridge]

Hi Denes,

Whatever the "heat" was, it was not fear of Hungary or any doubts about its right to Transilvania that forced Romania to enter talks on the subject. It was outside pressure by hostile great powers a a time when the country's own great own protectors were hors de combat. Hungary faced a similar problem at the end of WWI. Hungary faced a dictat from unchallenged great powers in 1918-19 and Romania faced one in 1940.

Cheers,

Sid.

[Florin]

Honestly, I did not read every sentence posted under this topic (11 Web pages by now).
I think the following were not mentioned previously:

In spite of the fact that Poland was from the first day of the war on the same side with the Allies, and later the Polish soldiers fought both under Soviet Union and under the Western Allies, Poland lost a huge piece of land after war, which even with that German land given on its western border, was still bigger percentage from total than Bessarabia was for Romania.

Czechoslovakia, an obvious victim of the Nazi aggression and of the coward behavior of France and Great Britain, ended WWII with less territory than it had in 1938.

On the other side, Bulgaria, a sympathizer with Nazi Germany even before the start of WWII, and a collaborator with the Axis until Romania took the risk to switch sides, kept the land received under an agreement oversaw by the Axis.
Hungary, who's army was fighting for Germany from the start of Barbarossa to March 1945, remained with exactly the same territory it had at the start of 1939.

My point here: Soviet Union and The United States decided the map of Europe as they pleased, and what each small country did or did not was not that important, eventually.

Another thing: While Finland was always praised for its courage to stand against Soviet Union, and Romania was offered as on opposite example to this, many forget that Finland had its back secure (border with Sweden), and had some support, more or less effective, from both Germany and The United States.
At the end of June 1940 Romania was literally surrounded by enemies and cut off from any traditional ally, to make short a long story.

This post has been edited by Florin on July 11, 2008 04:18 pm

[razu]

I wonder what my great grand father General Aristide Razu was thinking after Romania lost so many men in WW1 fighting against germany when Antonescu and nazism came to power.I think if I was him and saw what he have seen in his lifetime I would have laughed about going against .....Maybe the communism would have not come in such a force in our country.Maybe if people would read books instead of burning them,they would know that not even Napoleon could beat the russians,or the british.
Anyway first nationalization was made to our family in 1938....when romanian government said"from tomorow the underground resources belong to the state" that is the oil if I m not mistaken.And then slowly we lost everything ,land houses ....lives.Even today General Aristide Razu house in Bucharest on Varsoviei street No.5 is nationalized since 1946 and lived by the ex workers of the communist party.Not to mention that my uncle Radu Mandrea "donated" to the communist party in 1948
Mosia Balcesti Giltofani which today is Nicolae Balcescu Museum.....probably in order to not go to prisson.Because it is well known that in 1947 arrestations of land owners begun in romania.....So if we stood up and fought and would have not been so friendly with the germans before 1938 things would have not gone so wrong for us.....or at least we would have known that we have tried.....

This post has been edited by razu on January 21, 2009 11:58 pm

[Victor]

razu, please take a look at the forum guidelines and try to post on topic in the future. If you cannot find a topic to incorporate the new posting, you can always create a new topic. However, keep in mind that topics without any informational value or with the possbility of creating flame wars, will be closed

Your off topic posts were deleted.

[Victor]

Off topic posts by razu were deleted.

[MMM]

An "interesting" update: in conformity with documents presented by the SSI to the government since May 1940, the gov't was attentioned if we have to prepare for defensive OR evacuation in order. Carol and his politicians did... nothing! And then they got the nerve to pretend surprised...
One should read Gh. Buzatu's books and cut out the theories of conspiracy: at the highest levels, they knew - or at least suspected - what was coming!
PS - Florin, you're quite right, but nobody knew that back then. AND, what's more important, one shouldn't fight only the sure-odds battles... You know you're going to lose, but you get to keep your honour! It wasn't the case with us - we had no honour to keep in the first place!

This post has been edited by MMM on March 06, 2009 01:23 pm