Social and cultural consequences Soviet occupation of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina

1 social , cultural consequences

1.1 population movements
1.2 deportations , political repression
1.3 religious persecution

social , cultural consequences

at moment of soviet occupation, regions had total population of 3,776,309 inhabitants. according romanian official statistics, distributed among ethnic groups follows: romanians (53.49%), ukrainians , ruthenians (15.3%), russians (10.34%), jews (7.27%), bulgarians (4.91%), germans (3.31%), others (5.12%).

population movements

volksdeutsche resettling after soviet occupation of bessarabia

during soviet takeover in 1940, bessarabian germans (82,000) , bukovinain germans (40,000-45,000) repatriated germany @ request of hitler s government. of them forcibly settled nazis in german-occupied poland (they preferred proper german regions), , had move again in 1944-1945. people affected resettlement not persecuted, given no choice stay or live, , had change entire livelihood within weeks or days.

up 70,000 people fled bessarabia , northern bukovina rest of romania on 28 june 1940 , in following days, of them returned afterwards in 1941. however, faced advancing soviet troops in 1944, , fearing political repressions or deportations, several hundred thousand people moved westward remaining territory of romania.

deportations , political repression

70 years since first mass deportation of bessarabians, 1941-2011. post of moldova 2011.

deportations of locals on grounds of belonging intelligentsia or kulak classes, or of having anti-soviet nationalist ideas occurred daily throughout 1940-41 , 1944–1950, , less frequency in 1950-1956. these deportations touched local ethnic groups: romanians, ukrainians, russians, jews, bulgarians, gagauz. significant deportations happened on 3 separate occasions: according alexandru usatiuc-bulgăr, 29,839 people deported siberia on 13 june 1941. in total, in first year of soviet occupation, no fewer 86,604 people bessarabia, northern bukovina, , hertsa region suffered political repression. number close 1 calculated russian historians following documents in moscow archives, of ca. 90,000 people repressed, arrested or deported in first year of soviet occupation. greater part of figure (53,356) represented forced conscription labour across soviet union. classification of such labourers victims of political repression disputed, poverty of locals , soviet propaganda considered important factors leading emigration of local work force. arrests continued after 22 june 1941.

based on post-war statistics, historian igor cașu has shown moldovans/romanians comprised 50 percent of deportees, rest being jews, russians, ukrainians, gagauzes, bulgarians , roma people. considering ethnic make-up of region, concludes pre- , post-war repression not directed @ specific ethnic or national group, characterised genocide or crime against humanity . 1941 deportation targeted anti-soviet elements , comprised former representatives of romanian interwar administration (policemen, gendarmes, prison guards, clerks), large land-owners, tradesmen, former officers of romanian, polish , tsarist armies, , people had defected soviet union before 1940. kulaks become main targets of repression in post-war period. before soviet archives made accessible, r. j. rummel had estimated between 1940 , 1941, 200,000 300,000 romanian bessarabians persecuted, conscripted forced labor camps, or deported entire family, of whom 18,000 57,000 supposedly killed.

religious persecution

after installation of soviet administration, religious life in bessarabia , northern bukovina underwent persecution similar 1 in russia between 2 world wars. in first days of occupation, population groups welcomed soviet power , of them joined newly established soviet nomenklatura, including nkvd, soviet political police. latter has used these locals find , arrest numerous priests. other priests arrested , interrogated soviet nkvd itself, deported interior of ussr, , killed. research on subject still @ stage. of 2007, christian orthodox church has granted martyrdom ca. 50 clergymen died in first year of soviet rule (1940–1941).