Foreign policy of Romania before World War I

References

Main article: Romania during World War I

Romania's Foreign Policy in the Years Preceding the Outbreak of the World War I
Part of Part of Romanian Campaign of World War I
Romanian troops at Mărășești in 1917
Date 1900 – 1914 Location Kingdom of Romania
Belligerents
Kingdom of Romania Russian Empire	German Empire Austria-Hungary Kingdom of Bulgaria Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ioan Culcer Alexandru Averescu Eremia Grigorescu Mihail Aslan Constantin Prezan Alexei Brusilov Andrei Zaioncikovski	Erich von Falkenhayn August von Mackensen Arthur Arz von Straussenburg Nicola Jekov
Strength
1916: 658,088 50,000 1917: 400,000 1,000,000	750,000 143,049 (1916) 20,000 (1916)
Casualties and losses
Romania: 535,706+ all causes Russia: ?	Germania: 47,000+ dead and wounded Austria-Hungary: ? Bulgaria: ?

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the international system was marked by the rivalry between the Great Powers for the control of the Extra-European world. In Europe, Germany had become the main power and its behavior on the continent produced an extraordinary distance and reconstitution of the alliances in relation to the precursory decades

Romania was caught in these games of power. On the one hand, it was an object of the neighbouring empires’ rivalry, which had plans of annexation prepared for different parts of its territory. On the other hand, Romania was seeking to create for itself the proper conditions for the accomplishments of the national ideal, the unification in one single state of all Romanian historical provinces.

Context

At the beginning of the 20th century, the International scene was characterized as being a fight of all against all.

Relationships with the Balkan states

The general guidelines

The development of the relations with the states in the Balkans was one of the external political priorities of Romania in this entire period that followed the Independence gaining. The dynamics of these relations was not uniform, being influenced by a series of factors as the evolution of the political, economic and security interests of Romania, the governments’ attitude in Athens, Belgrade, Istanbul, and Sofia in regard to our country, the relations of these countries with the two military adverse blocks in the area.

Romania had three big strategic interests of security in this area:

• The defense of the long Danubian borderland between Danube and Black Sea.
• The maintenance of the Bosporus and Dardanelles strait opened, through which 90% of the exchanges was made.
• The avoidance of the isolation or of the political surrounding of Romania through the maintenance of an open Salonic – Nis – Danube communication, the prevention of its blocking as a consequence of some local conflicts or of the taking over under strict control by one of the Great Powers in the area.

Starting from these considerations, the external politics adopted by Romania in the first years of the 20th century was one of "compensationsȚ, having as main goal the maintenance of the "balance of forces", as an instrument through the agency of which it was intended the prevention of the rising of a regional hegemonic state as well as the avoidance of the conflicts that could lead to the modification of the status quo in the south of Danube.

After the passing of the crisis in the Romanian–Turkey relationships of 1905 and the breakage of the diplomatic relations with Greece during the same years, the Romanian government headed, at that time, by Dimitrie Sturdza, made known the Balkan politics which had as a main objective the refuse to engage in no alliance at the level of the Balkans, together with the maintenance of the option to intervene in any situation in which the modification of the balance of forces in Balkan would have threat the Romanian interests.

Relationships with Bulgaria

In June 1900, Professor Mihăileanu, one of the leaders of the national aromanian movement, is assassinated on the streets of Bucharest by a Bulgarian komitadji sent by Sofia with this special mission. The Romanian public opinion is rising up and a war is avoided with great difficulty.

After the Second Balkan War Romania and Bulgaria had become rivals.

Alliances

On 18/30 October 1883, Romania adhered to the Triple Alliance through a bilateral treaty with Austria-Hungary. The treaty stipulated that the allies should lend support to each other in the case of an attack from Russia (although it was not mentioned explicitly) and they promised not to join another alliance directed against one of them. Germany adhered to the agreement in the same day, through a separate treaty.

The alliance with the Central Powers has been the headstone of Romania’s external politics for 30 years, because the king and the political liberal and conservator leaders perceived the Central Powers as being the most powerful military and economic force in Europe.

Through this alliance, Romania avoids a diplomatic isolation which was threatening in the case of the materialization of a treaty on the expense of Romania between the Russian and Habsburg Empires. At the same time, Romania receives specific guarantees of security, it consolidates its political position in the south of the eastern Europe and manages to receive a convenient solution to the "Danube Question".

Along with the passing of time, in the alliance of Romania with the Central Powers appeared several cracks, especially the Romanian problem in Hungary. The Romanian public opinion has become more and more hostile in relation to Austria-Hungary.

The Balkan Wars constituted the most severe test of the alliance of Romania with Austria-Hungary. In the Second Balkan War the actions of Romania did not receive any support from the Habsburg Empire, which had as a main objective the assimilation of Bulgaria into the Triple Alliance. In the same time, a warming of the official relationships between Romania and France has produced after France supported and approved the actions of Romania and the terms of the treaty of Bucharest. "The Balkan crisis of 1912–1913 completed the alienation of Romania in relation to Austria-Hungary and the Triple Alliance. […] In the spring of 1914, the approach between Romania and Triple Entente was a real fact".

References

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