“The Romanians didn’t build anything in Bessarabia, they just looted it”

This is the central thesis of the pro-Russians about Bessarabia as part of interwar Romania. But how correct is it?

Well, first of all, education. In 1918, there were approximately 1000 schools in Bessarabia, all in Russian, obviously. Many were not even proper schools, but rented rooms or parochial schools of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Romanian state built approximately 1,500-2,000 new schools, and renovated the existing ones. These exclusively by the state, excluding private education, developed alongside religious organizations (especially within the Romanian Orthodox Church or of the Jews). Most of them were built thanks to the Minister of Education Constantin Angelescuwho passed the Primary Education Act of 1924. To speed up the process, standardized architectural plans were used. These were solid buildings, usually with 2, 4 or 8 classrooms, chancellery and headmaster’s quarters, often becoming the most imposing buildings in Bessarabian villages. The Romanian state allocated enormous sums, but there was also a system of “voluntary work” and local contributions from the peasants, who understood that education was their children’s chance. In 1918, only 10-15% of the inhabitants of Bessarabia were literate. In 1938, they had reached 35-50%. In each county seat (Bălți, Soroca, Orhei, Cahul, etc.) high schools for boys and girls were built or modernized (eg: “BP Hasdeu” High School in Chisinau).

Also, the Romanian state did in Chisinau what the tsarist authorities would not have imagined: the establishment of higher education. Unfortunately, there were not enough resources to establish an independent university, but the University of Iasi established 2 faculties in Chisinau: the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. When the USSR annexed the region in 1940 and founded the State University of Chisinau and the Agricultural University, it already had their infrastructure. Also, the Unir*ea Conservatory was founded (censor the sub), at the initiative of George Enescu, on the basis of which the State Conservatory was formed by the Soviets.

Rural dispensary networks and modern county hospitals were built (such as the one in Balti or the extensions in Chisinau).

Public lighting networks or pavements were introduced, as well as water supply or sewage systems.

Culturally, he achieved enormously: King Carol II, with his many flaws, got personally involved in financing Romanian cultural organizations in Bessarabia, as well as writers, artists, actors, etc. All actors, writers and artists from Soviet Moldova from the 50s and 60s, as well as scientists, were trained in Romanian schools. The National Theater in Chisinau was founded, and in 1939, Radio Chisinau, as the first regional station of the Romanian Broadcasting Society. It had the most modern transmitter in the area at the time, intended to counter Soviet radio propaganda from Tiraspol.

There is no point in talking about churches, you will also find out which ones are the ones with Romanian architecture. Also, including those from the Tsarist period were renovated. But the peak was obviously the Balti Cathedral.

Indeed, there was one point where interwar Bessarabia was dust: industry. But not through Romania’s fault. Or, please, not only Romania’s. Obviously, during the Tsarist period, industry in Bessarabia was almost non-existent, being an eminently agricultural province. In the interwar period, the heavy industry in Bessarabia was almost entirely owned by the state. Why? Well, the Soviet Union did not recognize Bessarabia as part of Romania. Having this information, would you, a large industrialist, Romanian or foreign, open a factory in Bessarabia, knowing that it is a territory claimed by a state where there is no private property? We all guess the answer. Thus, Bessarabia came to represent only 2-3% of the entire Romanian industry. So the Soviets were also to blame.

Yes, there were abuses. Yes, there were problems. But they were all over Romania. And in all of Europe, in fact. While, in Bessarabia, there were problems like a Russian-speaker from Chisinau was offended that the official from Russian Oltenia did not know how to talk to him, or a Jew was offended that a legionnaire offended him on the street, beyond the Dniester people were dying of hunger and cannibalism was practiced. The problems of Bessarabia were the problems specific to Romania and Eastern Europe between the wars. It wasn’t about "Romanian colony" I know tall cockatoos.

The Romanian gendarme from Chisinau or Orhei was no more violent than the one from Craiova or Iasi. That the gendarmes are violent, in general. But at least they didn’t shoot you and deport your family to Siberia, like the NKVD-ists.

I said to dismantle this propaganda with concrete data, and leave it here, for as many as possible to see.