Tatarbunary Uprising
Encyclopedia
The Tatarbunary Uprising was a Bolshevik
-inspired peasant revolt that took place on 15–18 September 1924, in and around the town of Tatarbunary
(Tatar-Bunar or Tatarbunar) in Budjak
(Bessarabia
), then part of Greater Romania
, now part of Odessa Oblast
, Ukraine
. It was led by a pro-Soviet
revolutionary committee
which called for the creation of a Moldavian Soviet Republic and an end to "Romanian occupation".
It was an uprising instigated and led by communists agents from across the Dniester whose anti-Greater Romania
agenda was promoting Moldovenism
(later that year, a Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
, roughly corresponding to Transnistria
, was established inside the Ukrainian SSR). The Tatarbunar Uprising, as well as the uprisings of Khotin and Bender
, occurred in those regions in which there were very important demographic changes resulting from Tsarist Russia's policy of settling in Bessarabia large numbers of Ukrainians, Russians and other nationalities. United States professor and expert in Moldovan issues Charles King
however considers the revolt, along other similar rebellions in Romanian-administered Bessarabia, as modern jacquerie
s.
and Soviet Russia were tense. Since 1918 there were numerous bilateral meetings in Copenhagen, Warsaw, Genoa, and other locations but no consensus could be reached. The Soviets saw Bessarabia
as an annexed province and considered the decision of union with Romania
as imposed by the occupying Romanian Army. Moreover, historians from both countries intensely debated the treaty with the Soviet Rumcherod
in 1918 that required withdrawal of the Romanian Army from Bessarabia
but which both countries failed to respect. The legitimacy of the Sfatul Ţării
was also brought into question, although the only contested decision is the unification act.
In December 1923, the sixth Conference of the Balkan Communist Federation
adopted a resolution condemning what was called "Romania's
expansionist nature". The Romanian state was accused that in 1918, taking advantage of Russia's weakness, it attached "large parts of other nations that achieved a superior political, economical and cultural level”. It also says that, because of this, “the nationalities in Bessarabia
, Bukovina
, Dobrudja and Transylvania
undertook a fight for self-determination”. The documents adopted at the conference mentions that the internal policies of the bourgeois states in the Balkans
after World War I
suffered a failure and in order to resolve the problem they proposed the right of self-determination.
Between March 27 and April 2, 1924 negotiations took place in Vienna
in order to relieve Soviet-Romanian relations. Romania
did not recognize the newly constituted USSR
and the countries had no diplomatic relations. The Romanian delegation was led by C.Langa-Răşcanu
and the soviets were led by N.N.Krestinsky. The Soviet delegation immediately raised the question of Bessarabia
and diplomat Maxim Litvinov
presented a plan to conduct a plebiscite in Bessarabia
. Romanian government rejected the referendum, viewing it as a Soviet public relations campaign. Langa-Răşcanu
claimed that in the entire Soviet Union never was any kind of plebiscite, citing Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky: The proposal to remove the Soviet armies in Georgia and to hold a referendum supervised by the Joint Commissions composed of socialists and communists, is an imperialist trap of low quality, under the banner of democracy and national self-determination.. The Romanian delegation also insisted that the "eminent character" in Bessarabia
is Romanian
and that the population had "repeated acts of self-determination that make the plebiscite proposition a futile and offending request". On April 2, 1924, the Romanian delegation rejected the Soviet proposal and ceased negotiations with the Soviet Union.
to the Black Sea
. On July 20, 1924 the Executive Committee
of the Communist International (Comintern
) issued a note to the central committees of communist parties in Poland
, Lithuania
, Estonia
, Romania
, Czechoslovakia
and Yugoslavia
, which mentions that "the Russian proletariat is threatened with war from Romania". On this basis, a few weeks later, on August 8, under the presidency of Vasil Petrov Kolarov – secretary of the Balkan Communist Federation
– a plan of action was drafted for Romania
which was set to be implemented by mid September. The Comintern
approved the plan that was to divide Romania into 5 action zone as following:
The Soviet Union had asked not to be directly involved in the preparations. The only help would come from other communists. In order to prepare the plan, arms, munitions and explosives were smuggled in boats across the Soviet-Romanian border, mainly at night. The plan relied on support from peasants who resented Romanian government's agricultural policy, particularly the land reform of 1921. The peasants' situation was aggravated due to a drought in summer 1924, which caused a famine in southern Bessarabia.
Main leadership was appointed by Comintern
to Bădulescu Alexandru
(Moscovici Gelbert), Goldştein Max
and Kalifarski (ethnic Russian and activist in the Comintern). Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
, also known as Nenin, was responsible for coordinating the action and the military commander of Bessarabia was Osip Poliakov, known as Platov.
The planned action in North Zone had the purpose of inspiring other uprisings in Galicia. First, fourth and fifth zones were to begin action one week after the uprisings in the second and third zones. Even though the plan was complex no significant events took place except for Tatarbunary
and in the Danube port of Kiliya (Romanian: Chilia Nouă) were the uprising was quickly silenced.
agents – Andrei Kliushnikov
(Nenin) and Nicolai Shishman (Afanasiev) together with three locals – Ivan Bejanovici (Kolţov or Pugaciov), Ivan Dobrovolski (Gromov) and Iustin Batishcev (Almazov). This committee was not subordinated to the Romanian Communist Party
, but was under direct control from the Soviet Union. All the Communist organizations in Bessarabia
were supported financially and materially by the Soviets as well as being under their direct control through the special centre in Odessa
. Allegedly acting with instructions from the Intelligence Center in Odessa
, members organized revolutionary committee
s in the three counties of southern Bessarabia - Cahul, Ismail and Cetatea Albă. A number of 25 villages and the cities of Cahul
and Ismail
were subject to the these actions, all of them being inhabited mainly by Russians
and Ukrainians
. In each location the committees formed a special military detachment composed of a minimum 20-30 men together with a commander. Communications between committees were maintained by messengers.
Before and during the Vienna Conference a large group of Soviet agents infiltrated into Southern Bessarabia and, along with the agents from the local committees, made propaganda in favor of the plebiscite. Arms were brought from the Soviet Union and main deposits were in Strumok at Ivan Robotă’s house
and in Nerushai totaling 3000 grenades, 1000 guns, 7 machine guns, 500 swords, 2 cannons and one mortar, all Russian made.
Andrei Kliushnikov
or Nenin began to organize the local committees. From his house wrote a report in which he asked for 100 swords, 600 guns, mine throwers and bombs. Nenin encouraged the participants to be bold and to count on support of the Soviet Army
once the rebellion starts. Nicolai Shishman was a very well trained agent. He spoke Russian
, Romanian
and Bulgarian
as well as having other skills. Using many tactics, also by offering money, tried to win local intellectuals and personalities to the Soviet cause, as was the case with senator Iacob Belaushenco from Cahul
.
marshes. The rapid intervention of Romanian gendarmerie
prevented further turmoil.
After this incident several leaders were arrested and it appears that Nenin decided to accelerate operations. In the evening of 15 September he convened a meeting at the house of Chirilă Nazarenko in Tatarbunary. Participants were Iustin Batischcev, Nechita Lisovoi, Kolţov, Leonte Ţurcan and Alexei Pavlenco. They all agreed on the plan, that would begin that night, and some of them brought arms and munitions from Strumok.
The revolt was resumed more strongly in Tatarbunary
, during the night of September 15/16. Armed groups occupied the city hall and proclaimed the Moldavian Soviet Republic as part of the Ukraine SSR.The town secretary, the chief of the local gendarmerie, two Romanian Army soldiers as well as other Romanian state employees were killed during the attack. Nenin ordered Iustin Batishcev to send guards at all town's exits and to display red flags on public buildings. The population was gathered at the town hall were Nenin sad that Bessarabia was proclaimed a republic and that the Red Army crossed the Dniester
to cast out the Romanian Army. He ended his speech by saying: „Long live the Soviet Republic of Moldavia”.. At the same time, a Soviet artillery detachment in Ovidiopol
, on the left bank of the Dniester
, had engaged in maneuvers.
During that night, out of Nenin’s orders, two main groups of were formed that took control of the villages near Tatarbunary
–Strumok (Romanian: Cişmele) and Bîlolîssia (Romanian: Achmanghit) after which they went to Nerushai (Romanian: Neruşai), Mykhailivka (Romanian: Mihăileni) and Desantne (Romanian: Galileşti). The rebels formed Soviet-type institutions – revolution committees, militia units and the Red Guards. The total number of the rebels was 4000-6000 persons and they were mainly Ukrainians
and Russians
. The rebellion had little affinity with the Romanians
, Bulgarian Colonists
and German colonists
populations. The gendarmerie commander of Bîlolîssia escaped to Sarata
(Romanian: Sărata) were he gathered a group of 40 German volunteers. In the morning of 16, the group opened fire upon the rebels led by Ivan Bejanovici. The fighting lasted for several hours until the rebels were informed that the Romanian Army was closing and retreated to Tatarbunary
.
(Romanian: Cetatea Albă) in the evening of 16 September and engaged the rebels at the bridge between Tatarbunary
and Bîlolîssia, mortally injuring Ivan Bejanovici. Meanwhile, Nenin went to Strumok were he deposited arms and munition at Andrei Stantenco's house, one of the leaders of the rebellion. The Romanian Army coming from the west already engaged Strumok.
Nenin withdrew to Tatarbunary in the early hours of 17 September. Fighting continued around the village all day long until they retreated South to Nerushai were they would be supported by Leonte Ţurcan, who had a large stock of concealed weapons.
In the early hours of September 18, Romanian troops stormed Tatarbunary, the center of the rebellion, by shelling the village. Unable to hold his positions Nenin ordered the withdrawal to Desantne. Then he tried to reach the Black Sea
beach line at a place called Volcioc, near Prymors'ke (Romanian: Jibrieni), but the rebels were intercepted by a border patrol composed of 20 soldiers. The skirmish lasted until the rebels ran out of ammunition after which they were captured and disarmed. A larger army detachment caught the remaining groups, capturing 120 rebels.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the revolt, Nenin and Iustin Batischcev, fled by car which they later abandoned beyond Desantne. They hid in a corn field, but Batischcev left Nenin while he slept, taking with him 336,500 lei, representing the remaining money robbed from the people of Tatarbunary
. He was later caught by the army. After waking up alone and found no money, Nenin ran towards the Black Sea
marshes, but was surprised by a gendarme who mortally wounded him.
The Romanian Danube Fleet also took part in suppressing the rebellion as it was gathered at Mahmudia
, near Kiliya, for military exercises. As southern Bessarabia was in danger the land troops asked for help and rear admiral
Gavrilescu Anastasie moved the whole Danube fleet to Vylkove
(Romanian: Vâlcov) capturing many rebels, including important quantities of arms, munitions, machine guns, explosive materials, grenades, bombs and railway mines near Periprava.
, Ivan Bejanovici and Ivan Dobrovolski but Iustin Batishcev was arrested. Nicolai Shishman managed to hide and on March 1, 1925, crossed the Dniestr into the Soviet Union. A month after the incidents started, on October 11, the gendarmes post in Akkerman reported that an incident took place near the village of Tuzly were 45 armed man, arriving by motor boats, tried to free the participants of the uprising. Another similar incident took place 6 days later near Tatarbunary
.
and Constantin Costa-Foru
who wrote about the arrested and criticized the Romanian authorities. Because the defendants did not speak Romanian the hearings were made with the help of translators so the trial lasted very long. The government's dossier presented at the trial contained about 70,000 pages and the verdict 180. All this and the unusual number of persons prosecuted made the trial last 103 days.
During the trial, Parfentie Voronovski, one of the participants, said that Nenin
came from Moscow
to organize the revolutionary committee
and he, at Nenin's
orders, would cut the telephone and telegraph line in Tatarbunary
. Leonte Ţurcan, at the trial, informed that Nenin
presented himself as a student coming from Russia
to organize the committees. Nenin
frequently asked about the state of the revolutionary committees and brought him two books – The Communist ABC and The Red Army. Ţurcan also said that after Nenin
went to Odessa
then to Moscow
, upon his arrival in Bessarabia
, informed the committees that the Red Army
promised to intervene when the revolution starts. Another participant to the uprising, Dimitrie Sevcone, spoke about the meetings held by Nenin
and Kolţov in which they talked about the connections between the committees and Grigory Kotovsky’s army that also promised help.
On December 3, 1925, the War Council of Third Army Corps convicted 85 (none of them Romanians) out of 287 persons brought to trial. Iustin Batishcev was sentenced to life forced laborIustin Batishcev was convicted for life forced labor but in 1928 the sentence was reduce to 20 years and in 1930 it was reduce with 5 more years. He was to be freed on 9th of July 1941., the most severe penalty, Nichita Lisovoi and Leonte Ţurcan to 15 years forced labor, another three to 10 years and 20 others to 5 years in prison. The remaining received convictions of 1 to 3 years in prison. Also, each of the 85 convicts were to pay 1,000 lei representing legal charges.
and international attention, with Romain Rolland
, Maxim Gorky
, Paul Langevin
, Theodore Dreiser
, and Albert Einstein
, among others, speaking out on behalf of the defendants, while Henri Barbusse
even traveled to Romania to witness the proceedings.
In the national newspapers the subject was presented in two different forms, both being critic to the uprising, except for the communist press. The pro-liberal and pro-government view emphasizes the danger of communism
spreading in the country and treated the uprising as a terrorist and bandit attack. Opposition newspapers heavily criticized the authorities for the disproportionate response to the uprising and also accused the liberal Ion Brătianu
government of intentionally overstating the communist fear in order to extend the martial law
to the whole country transforming it into a feudal state. The authorities admitted the disproportionate response but it was to late and Romania
became known internationally as a „minorities prison”.
Constantin Costa-Foru
wrote several articles referring to the rebellion and claimed that it was not an uprising nor a bolshevik armed incursion but a disaster that took its roots in the harsh, incompetent administration and said that all who fell into disgrace were considered bolsheviks. French communist-militant Henri Barbusse
attended the trial and wrote his famous book – Hangman (Romanian: Călăii) that brought serious international image problems for Romania
. The book was published by the C.C. of M.O.P.R. in 1927.
saw the incident as a mere terrorist
action backed by the Soviet Union, that tried to destabilise the situation inside the country and prepared for a Red Army
incursion.
However, the widespread condemnation of the rebellion inside Romania was also present with the country's non-communist socialist
groups; the Socialist Federation
's Ilie Moscovici wrote in 1925:
The view was shared by the American scholar Charles Upson Clark
, according to whom:
Dutch professor Wim P. van Meurs, in his book dedicated to Bessarabia
, considers the uprising as clearly instigated by communist agitators from across the Dniester
and remarks that it was to well timed between the failure of the Vienna Conference and the proclamation of the Moldavian Autonomous Republic, moreover, for the Kremlin
not to be involved.
Ukrainian and Russian authors consider that main factors contributing to the uprising were of social-economic nature – economic crisis in Romania
, the agricultural policy in 1921, the drought and famine of 1923/1924 and harsh administration. It should be noted that the Ukrainian and Russian populations, main participants, were on a greater social-economic scale compared to the Romanian population that was on the lowest scale and with the German
and Bulgarian
ones, comprising the richest populations. Also, during the uprising, the slogans used by the rebels were of nationalistic-political nature, like: Long live the Soviet Power!, Long live Soviet Bessarabia!, We aks for the unification with Soviet Ukraine!. Ever since unification
Bessarabia
has been under martial law, because of numerous soviet subversive actions, with censorship and all other forms of interference with normal life and with Romanian Government officials that were overzealous or incompetent, both military and civil. Corruption also played an important part, sometimes even interfering with national security.
(Camenca raion), then part of the newly created Moldavian ASSR
, and were very well treated but most of them suffered greatly during the Great Purge
of 1937-1938.
Another event following the uprising was the de facto banning of the Romanian Communist Party by the third Mârzescu Law while the second had banned it de jure. The law was approved by the Parliament on 17 december and it came into force two days later thus leading to the arrests of almost all the communists members.
, Bessarabia. Russia and Roumania on the Black Sea: Chapter XXVIII, "The Tatar-Bunar Episode" Alexander Junco. Tatarbunary Uprising in Bessababia Speech related to the events in Tatarbunary, held by Under-secretary for Internal Affairs Gheorghe Tătărescu
in 1926 , Part I, Part II Leonid Cemortan, "Drama intelectualilor basarabeni de stânga", in Revista Sud-Est Grigore D. Ripa, "Septembrie 1924 - Bolşevicii încearcă să recupereze Basarabia", in Jurnalul Naţional
, December 1, 2004 Revista Chronos, Conferinţa româno-sovietică de la Viena, 1924 Revista Chronos, Evenimentele de la Tatar-Bunar reflectate în presa vremii. Doina Otelita, Problema Basarabiei in evolutia Raporturilor Romano-Sovietice: 1918-1924 Valeria Bălescu, Tatar-Bunar, diversiune comunistă pentru cucerirea Basarabiei Pavel Moraru, Siguranţa Română în Basarabia Interbelică
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
-inspired peasant revolt that took place on 15–18 September 1924, in and around the town of Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
(Tatar-Bunar or Tatarbunar) in Budjak
Budjak
Budjak or Budzhak is a historical region in the Odessa Oblast of Ukraine. Lying along the Black Sea between the Danube and Dniester rivers this multiethnic region was the southern part of Bessarabia...
(Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
), then part of Greater Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
, now part of Odessa Oblast
Odessa Oblast
Odesa Oblast, also written as Odessa Oblast , is the southernmost and largest oblast of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odessa.-History:...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. It was led by a pro-Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
revolutionary committee
Revolutionary committee
Revolutionary committees or revkoms were Bolshevik-led organizations in Soviet Russia and in areas of its activities established to serve as provisional governments and temporary Soviet administrations in territories under the control of the Red Army in 1918-1920, during the Russian Civil War and...
which called for the creation of a Moldavian Soviet Republic and an end to "Romanian occupation".
It was an uprising instigated and led by communists agents from across the Dniester whose anti-Greater Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
agenda was promoting Moldovenism
Moldovenism
Moldovenism is a political term used to refer to the support and promotion of the Moldovan identity and Moldovan culture.Some of its supporters ascribe this identity to the medieval Principality of Moldavia...
(later that year, a Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Moldavian ASSR
The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic , shortened to Moldavian ASSR or, less frequently, Moldovan ASSR, was an autonomous republic of the Ukrainian SSR between 12 October 1924 and 2 August 1940, encompassing modern Transnistria The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic...
, roughly corresponding to Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
, was established inside the Ukrainian SSR). The Tatarbunar Uprising, as well as the uprisings of Khotin and Bender
Bender
- Places:* Bender, Moldova, also known as Bendery or Tighina* Bender, California, a former settlement in Fresno County, California* Bender Bayla District, a district of Bari, Somalia- Fiction :...
, occurred in those regions in which there were very important demographic changes resulting from Tsarist Russia's policy of settling in Bessarabia large numbers of Ukrainians, Russians and other nationalities. United States professor and expert in Moldovan issues Charles King
Charles King (author)
Charles King is Professor of International Affairs and Government at Georgetown University, where he previously served as Chairman of the Faculty of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service....
however considers the revolt, along other similar rebellions in Romanian-administered Bessarabia, as modern jacquerie
Jacquerie
The Jacquerie was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe by peasants that took place in northern France in the summer of 1358, during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt, which was violently suppressed after a few weeks of violence, centered in the Oise valley north of Paris...
s.
Soviet-Romanian Relations
After World War I relations between RomaniaGreater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
and Soviet Russia were tense. Since 1918 there were numerous bilateral meetings in Copenhagen, Warsaw, Genoa, and other locations but no consensus could be reached. The Soviets saw Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
as an annexed province and considered the decision of union with Romania
Union of Bessarabia with Romania
On , the Sfatul Ţării, or National Council, of Bessarabia proclaimed union with the Kingdom of Romania.-Governorate of Bessarabia:The 1812 Treaty of Bucharest between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empires provided for Russian annexation of the eastern half of the territory of the Principality...
as imposed by the occupying Romanian Army. Moreover, historians from both countries intensely debated the treaty with the Soviet Rumcherod
Rumcherod
Rumcherod was a self-proclaimed, unrecognized, and short-lived organ of Soviet power in the South-Western part of Russian Empire that functioned during May 1917–May 1918...
in 1918 that required withdrawal of the Romanian Army from Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
but which both countries failed to respect. The legitimacy of the Sfatul Ţării
Sfatul Tarii
Sfatul Țării was, in 1917-1918, the National Assembly of the Governorate of Bessarabia of the disintegrating Russian Empire, which proclaimed the independent Moldavian Democratic Republic in December 1917, and then union with Romania in April 1918.-Russian participation in World War I:In August...
was also brought into question, although the only contested decision is the unification act.
In December 1923, the sixth Conference of the Balkan Communist Federation
Balkan Communist Federation
The Balkan Federation was a project about the creation of a Balkan federation or confederation, based mainly on left political ideas.The concept of a Balkan federation emerged at the late 19th century from among left political forces in the region...
adopted a resolution condemning what was called "Romania's
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
expansionist nature". The Romanian state was accused that in 1918, taking advantage of Russia's weakness, it attached "large parts of other nations that achieved a superior political, economical and cultural level”. It also says that, because of this, “the nationalities in Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, Bukovina
Bukovina
Bukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
, Dobrudja and Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
undertook a fight for self-determination”. The documents adopted at the conference mentions that the internal policies of the bourgeois states in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
suffered a failure and in order to resolve the problem they proposed the right of self-determination.
Between March 27 and April 2, 1924 negotiations took place in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in order to relieve Soviet-Romanian relations. Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
did not recognize the newly constituted USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the countries had no diplomatic relations. The Romanian delegation was led by C.Langa-Răşcanu
Constantin Langa-Rascanu
Constantin Langa-Răşcanu was a Romanian diplomat. He was the head of the Romanian delegation at the Vienna meeting with the delegation of the Soviet Union headed by N. N. Krestinsky....
and the soviets were led by N.N.Krestinsky. The Soviet delegation immediately raised the question of Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
and diplomat Maxim Litvinov
Maxim Litvinov
Maxim Maximovich Litvinov was a Russian revolutionary and prominent Soviet diplomat.- Early life and first exile :...
presented a plan to conduct a plebiscite in Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
. Romanian government rejected the referendum, viewing it as a Soviet public relations campaign. Langa-Răşcanu
Constantin Langa-Rascanu
Constantin Langa-Răşcanu was a Romanian diplomat. He was the head of the Romanian delegation at the Vienna meeting with the delegation of the Soviet Union headed by N. N. Krestinsky....
claimed that in the entire Soviet Union never was any kind of plebiscite, citing Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
Leon Trotsky: The proposal to remove the Soviet armies in Georgia and to hold a referendum supervised by the Joint Commissions composed of socialists and communists, is an imperialist trap of low quality, under the banner of democracy and national self-determination.. The Romanian delegation also insisted that the "eminent character" in Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
is Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
and that the population had "repeated acts of self-determination that make the plebiscite proposition a futile and offending request". On April 2, 1924, the Romanian delegation rejected the Soviet proposal and ceased negotiations with the Soviet Union.
Preparations
The Soviet government assessed that, in 1924, all the conditions are met for major actions against Romania which would justify the intervention of Soviet Army. Similar actions were prepared for other countries from the Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. On July 20, 1924 the Executive Committee
Executive Committee of the Communist International
The Executive Committee of the Communist International, commonly known by its acronym, ECCI, was the governing authority of the Comintern between the World Congresses of that body...
of the Communist International (Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
) issued a note to the central committees of communist parties in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, which mentions that "the Russian proletariat is threatened with war from Romania". On this basis, a few weeks later, on August 8, under the presidency of Vasil Petrov Kolarov – secretary of the Balkan Communist Federation
Balkan Communist Federation
The Balkan Federation was a project about the creation of a Balkan federation or confederation, based mainly on left political ideas.The concept of a Balkan federation emerged at the late 19th century from among left political forces in the region...
– a plan of action was drafted for Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
which was set to be implemented by mid September. The Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
approved the plan that was to divide Romania into 5 action zone as following:
- North Zone – representing BukovinaBukovinaBukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
, had the center of operation at KamiankaKamiankaKamianka is a city in Cherkasy Oblast of Ukraine. Population is 15,109 . It is a provincial town approx. 300 km. to South-East from Kiev, located on the bank of Tiasmyn River...
(Romanian: Camenca, now Petriceni). The main goal was to destroy the rail bridge connecting Cernăuţi with PaşcaniPascaniPaşcani is a city in Iaşi County in the Moldavia region of Romania on the Siret river. , it has a population of 42,172. Five villages are administered by the city: Blăgeşti, Boşteni, Gâsteşti, Lunca and Sodomeni....
, thus isolating BukovinaBukovinaBukovina is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains.-Name:The name Bukovina came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation from the Principality of Moldavia to the possessions of the Habsburg Monarchy, which became...
from the rest of the country, and continue to IaşiIasiIași is the second most populous city and a municipality in Romania. Located in the historical Moldavia region, Iași has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Romanian social, cultural, academic and artistic life...
were it would link with other revolutionaries coming from BessarabiaBessarabiaBessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
.
- BessarabiaBessarabiaBessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
– had the main action zone in the south and it would advance to GalaţiGalatiGalați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
with the help of a Soviet detachment that would cross the border at OlăneştiOlăneştiOlăneşti is a commune in Ştefan Vodă district, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Olăneşti....
– Budaki (Romanian: Budachi) – Tuzly (Romanian: Tuzla). This was set to be the main action zone. Several munition deposits were prepared.
- South-East Zone – comprising Dobrudja with the main centers at CălăraşiCalarasiCălăraşi , the capital of Călăraşi County and Sud-Muntenia Region in the Wallachia region, is situated in south-east Romania, on the bank of Danube's Borcea branch, at about 12 kilometers from the Bulgarian border and 125 kilometers from Bucharest....
– SilistraSilistraSilistra is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern bank of the lower Danube at the country's border with Romania. Silistra is the administrative centre of Silistra Province and one of the important cities of the historical region of Southern Dobrudzha...
– MânăstireaManastireaMănăstirea may refer to several villages in Romania:* Mănăstirea, a village in Pătârlagele town, Buzău County* Mănăstirea, a village in Mica Commune, Cluj County* Mănăstirea, a village in Cobia Commune, Dâmboviţa County...
. The plan was to destroy the bridge near FeteştiFetestiFeteşti is a city and municipality in Ialomiţa County, Romania, with a population of 34,076. It is located in the Bărăgan plain, on the Borcea branch of the Danube. Feteşti has the second largest population in Ialomiţa, after Slobozia....
that connected the province with RomaniaGreater RomaniaThe Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
. Help would be provided by land troops from the Soviet Union.
- BanatBanatThe Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
and Eastern Hungary (actually Ţara Zarandului) – here, the main proceedings were supported by Hungarian irredentist. The centers were Lugoj, SimeriaSimeriaSimeria is a town in Hunedoara County with a population of just under 14,000, and an important railway junction with hump yard. Six villages are administered by the town: Bârcea Mare, Cărpiniş, Simeria Veche, Sântandrei, Şăuleşti and Uroi....
and CaransebeşCaransebesCaransebeş is a city in Caraş-Severin County, part of the Banat region in southwestern Romania. It is located at the confluence of the river Timiş with the river Sebeş, the latter coming from the Ţarcu Mountains. To the west, it is in direct contact with the Banat hills...
.
- Northern Zone (MaramureşMaramuresMaramureș may refer to the following:*Maramureș, a geographical, historical, and ethno-cultural region in present-day Romania and Ukraine, that occupies the Maramureș Depression and Maramureș Mountains, a mountain range in North East Carpathians...
), Eastern Hungary (CrişanaCrisanaCrișana is a geographical and historical region divided today between Romania and Hungary, named after the Criș River and its three tributaries: the Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru and Crișul Repede....
) and TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
– only public manifestations of workers and peasants were planned. Centers were designated at ClujClujCluj may refer to*Cluj-Napoca, county seat of Cluj County, named Cluj until 1974*Cluj County, Romania*Cluj-Napoca International Airport*U Cluj, a Romanian sports club*U Cluj, a Romanian football club*CFR Cluj, a Romanian football club...
, DejDejDej is a city in northwestern Romania, 60 km north of Cluj-Napoca, in Cluj County. It lies where the Someşul Mic River meets the river Someşul Mare River...
and OradeaOradeaOradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
.
The Soviet Union had asked not to be directly involved in the preparations. The only help would come from other communists. In order to prepare the plan, arms, munitions and explosives were smuggled in boats across the Soviet-Romanian border, mainly at night. The plan relied on support from peasants who resented Romanian government's agricultural policy, particularly the land reform of 1921. The peasants' situation was aggravated due to a drought in summer 1924, which caused a famine in southern Bessarabia.
Main leadership was appointed by Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
to Bădulescu Alexandru
Ghiţă Moscu
Ghiţă Moscu was a Romanian socialist and communist activist, one of the early leaders of the Romanian Communist Party and its permanent delegate to the Third International....
(Moscovici Gelbert), Goldştein Max
Max Goldstein
Max Goldstein , also known as Coca, was a Romanian revolutionary, variously described as a communist and an anarchist.Born in Bârlad to a Jewish family, he worked as a clerk and moved to Bucharest, where he became a Communist sympathizer...
and Kalifarski (ethnic Russian and activist in the Comintern). Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
, also known as Nenin, was responsible for coordinating the action and the military commander of Bessarabia was Osip Poliakov, known as Platov.
The planned action in North Zone had the purpose of inspiring other uprisings in Galicia. First, fourth and fifth zones were to begin action one week after the uprisings in the second and third zones. Even though the plan was complex no significant events took place except for Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
and in the Danube port of Kiliya (Romanian: Chilia Nouă) were the uprising was quickly silenced.
Local Preparations
In southern Bessarabia a Soviet Party Committee was created in May 1922 and the leaders were two CominternComintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
agents – Andrei Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
(Nenin) and Nicolai Shishman (Afanasiev) together with three locals – Ivan Bejanovici (Kolţov or Pugaciov), Ivan Dobrovolski (Gromov) and Iustin Batishcev (Almazov). This committee was not subordinated to the Romanian Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
, but was under direct control from the Soviet Union. All the Communist organizations in Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
were supported financially and materially by the Soviets as well as being under their direct control through the special centre in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
. Allegedly acting with instructions from the Intelligence Center in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, members organized revolutionary committee
Revolutionary committee
Revolutionary committees or revkoms were Bolshevik-led organizations in Soviet Russia and in areas of its activities established to serve as provisional governments and temporary Soviet administrations in territories under the control of the Red Army in 1918-1920, during the Russian Civil War and...
s in the three counties of southern Bessarabia - Cahul, Ismail and Cetatea Albă. A number of 25 villages and the cities of Cahul
Cahul
-Demographics:According to the last Moldovan census from 2004 there were 35,488 people living within the city of Cahul and 1,317 people within Cotihana....
and Ismail
Ismail
Ismail may refer to:*Ismail , people with the name*Ishmael, the English name of Ismail*Ismael Village, in Sangcharak District at Sar-e Pol Province of Afghanistan...
were subject to the these actions, all of them being inhabited mainly by Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
and Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
. In each location the committees formed a special military detachment composed of a minimum 20-30 men together with a commander. Communications between committees were maintained by messengers.
Before and during the Vienna Conference a large group of Soviet agents infiltrated into Southern Bessarabia and, along with the agents from the local committees, made propaganda in favor of the plebiscite. Arms were brought from the Soviet Union and main deposits were in Strumok at Ivan Robotă’s house
and in Nerushai totaling 3000 grenades, 1000 guns, 7 machine guns, 500 swords, 2 cannons and one mortar, all Russian made.
Andrei Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
or Nenin began to organize the local committees. From his house wrote a report in which he asked for 100 swords, 600 guns, mine throwers and bombs. Nenin encouraged the participants to be bold and to count on support of the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
once the rebellion starts. Nicolai Shishman was a very well trained agent. He spoke Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
and Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
as well as having other skills. Using many tactics, also by offering money, tried to win local intellectuals and personalities to the Soviet cause, as was the case with senator Iacob Belaushenco from Cahul
Cahul
-Demographics:According to the last Moldovan census from 2004 there were 35,488 people living within the city of Cahul and 1,317 people within Cotihana....
.
Revolt starts
The first incident occurred at noon on September 11 when an armed group composed of 30 individuals, transported by boats, attacked the village of Nikolaievca (Romanian: Nicolăeni, now Mykolaivka) near the Soviet-Romanian border and at the shore of the Black Sea. The attack was initiated at the proposal of Kolţov and was led by Ivan Bejanovici. It appears that initial targets were Tuzly or Prymors'ke but no gendarmes were present at that time in Nikolaievca. The rebels cut the telephone and telegraph lines, killed the mayor and two gendarmes (last by grenade fire), set fire to several buildings, including the town hall, and spread manifests in which they encouraged the population to rebel. The manifests were signed by the very famous Romanian thief – Terente. An outdoor fair was held in Nikolaievca and the attackers profited and looted the peasants, transporting the booty in three waggons to the nearby Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
marshes. The rapid intervention of Romanian gendarmerie
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
prevented further turmoil.
After this incident several leaders were arrested and it appears that Nenin decided to accelerate operations. In the evening of 15 September he convened a meeting at the house of Chirilă Nazarenko in Tatarbunary. Participants were Iustin Batischcev, Nechita Lisovoi, Kolţov, Leonte Ţurcan and Alexei Pavlenco. They all agreed on the plan, that would begin that night, and some of them brought arms and munitions from Strumok.
The revolt was resumed more strongly in Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
, during the night of September 15/16. Armed groups occupied the city hall and proclaimed the Moldavian Soviet Republic as part of the Ukraine SSR.The town secretary, the chief of the local gendarmerie, two Romanian Army soldiers as well as other Romanian state employees were killed during the attack. Nenin ordered Iustin Batishcev to send guards at all town's exits and to display red flags on public buildings. The population was gathered at the town hall were Nenin sad that Bessarabia was proclaimed a republic and that the Red Army crossed the Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
to cast out the Romanian Army. He ended his speech by saying: „Long live the Soviet Republic of Moldavia”.. At the same time, a Soviet artillery detachment in Ovidiopol
Ovidiopol
Ovidiopol is a coastal town in Odessa Oblast, Ukraine. It is located at around .The town was named after Ovid, the Roman poet, based on the claim of Dimitrie Cantemir in his Descriptio Moldaviae that a local lake near Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi was named in Romanian Lacul Ovidului Ovidiopol is a...
, on the left bank of the Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
, had engaged in maneuvers.
During that night, out of Nenin’s orders, two main groups of were formed that took control of the villages near Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
–Strumok (Romanian: Cişmele) and Bîlolîssia (Romanian: Achmanghit) after which they went to Nerushai (Romanian: Neruşai), Mykhailivka (Romanian: Mihăileni) and Desantne (Romanian: Galileşti). The rebels formed Soviet-type institutions – revolution committees, militia units and the Red Guards. The total number of the rebels was 4000-6000 persons and they were mainly Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
and Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
. The rebellion had little affinity with the Romanians
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
, Bulgarian Colonists
Bessarabian Bulgarians
The Bessarabian Bulgarians are a Bulgarian minority group of the historical region of Bessarabia, inhabiting parts of present-day Ukraine and Moldova.- Location and number :-Modern Ukraine:...
and German colonists
Bessarabia Germans
----The Bessarabia Germans are an ethnic group who lived in Bessarabia between 1814 and 1940. Between 1814 and 1842, 9000 of them immigrated from the German areas Baden, Württemberg, Alsace, Bavaria and some Prussian areas of modern-day Poland, to the Russian government of Bessarabia at the Black...
populations. The gendarmerie commander of Bîlolîssia escaped to Sarata
Sarata
Sarata is a town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Sarata Raion , and is part of the Bessarabian historic district of Budjak....
(Romanian: Sărata) were he gathered a group of 40 German volunteers. In the morning of 16, the group opened fire upon the rebels led by Ivan Bejanovici. The fighting lasted for several hours until the rebels were informed that the Romanian Army was closing and retreated to Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
.
Romanian reaction
In order to suppress the rebellion, the Romanian government sent artillery troops of the Romanian Army Third Corps and a marine unit. The first units arrived from AkkermanBilhorod-Dnistrovskyi
Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi is a city situated on the right bank of the Dniester Liman in the Odessa Oblast of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Bessarabia...
(Romanian: Cetatea Albă) in the evening of 16 September and engaged the rebels at the bridge between Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
and Bîlolîssia, mortally injuring Ivan Bejanovici. Meanwhile, Nenin went to Strumok were he deposited arms and munition at Andrei Stantenco's house, one of the leaders of the rebellion. The Romanian Army coming from the west already engaged Strumok.
Nenin withdrew to Tatarbunary in the early hours of 17 September. Fighting continued around the village all day long until they retreated South to Nerushai were they would be supported by Leonte Ţurcan, who had a large stock of concealed weapons.
In the early hours of September 18, Romanian troops stormed Tatarbunary, the center of the rebellion, by shelling the village. Unable to hold his positions Nenin ordered the withdrawal to Desantne. Then he tried to reach the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
beach line at a place called Volcioc, near Prymors'ke (Romanian: Jibrieni), but the rebels were intercepted by a border patrol composed of 20 soldiers. The skirmish lasted until the rebels ran out of ammunition after which they were captured and disarmed. A larger army detachment caught the remaining groups, capturing 120 rebels.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the revolt, Nenin and Iustin Batischcev, fled by car which they later abandoned beyond Desantne. They hid in a corn field, but Batischcev left Nenin while he slept, taking with him 336,500 lei, representing the remaining money robbed from the people of Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
. He was later caught by the army. After waking up alone and found no money, Nenin ran towards the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
marshes, but was surprised by a gendarme who mortally wounded him.
The Romanian Danube Fleet also took part in suppressing the rebellion as it was gathered at Mahmudia
Mahmudia
Mahmudia is a commune in Tulcea County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Mahmudia. It included the villages of Beştepe, Băltenii de Jos and Băltenii de Sus until 2004, when these were split off to form Beştepe Commune....
, near Kiliya, for military exercises. As southern Bessarabia was in danger the land troops asked for help and rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Gavrilescu Anastasie moved the whole Danube fleet to Vylkove
Vylkove
Vylkove is a small city located in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta, at utmost South-West of Ukraine, on the border with Romania. Administratively it is part of the Kiliyskyi Raion of the Odessa Oblast .- Geography :...
(Romanian: Vâlcov) capturing many rebels, including important quantities of arms, munitions, machine guns, explosive materials, grenades, bombs and railway mines near Periprava.
Aftermath
The revolt was suppressed by the Romanian Army's Third Corps after three days of fighting in which 1600 people were arrested and 3000 died, among them, some of the leaders – Andrei KliushnikovAndrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
, Ivan Bejanovici and Ivan Dobrovolski but Iustin Batishcev was arrested. Nicolai Shishman managed to hide and on March 1, 1925, crossed the Dniestr into the Soviet Union. A month after the incidents started, on October 11, the gendarmes post in Akkerman reported that an incident took place near the village of Tuzly were 45 armed man, arriving by motor boats, tried to free the participants of the uprising. Another similar incident took place 6 days later near Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
.
Trial of the 500
The trial took place from August 24 to December 2, 1925, at the Military Court of Third Army Corps. Most of the initial 1600 arrested were freed but 489 (9 Romanians) of them would be prosecuted. It was nicknamed by the press "Trial of the 500". Defense was ensured by 8 Romanian lawyers, the most important being Iacob PistinerIacob Pistiner
Jacob Pistiner was a Romanian politician and lawyer.He was born in Chernivtsi, 1882, then part of Austro-Hungarian Empire, in a Jewish family....
and Constantin Costa-Foru
Constantin Costa-Foru
Constantin Gheorghe Costa-Foru was a Romanian journalist, lawyer and human rights activist.He was born in Bucharest, on 26 October, in a wealthy family of Jewish origin...
who wrote about the arrested and criticized the Romanian authorities. Because the defendants did not speak Romanian the hearings were made with the help of translators so the trial lasted very long. The government's dossier presented at the trial contained about 70,000 pages and the verdict 180. All this and the unusual number of persons prosecuted made the trial last 103 days.
During the trial, Parfentie Voronovski, one of the participants, said that Nenin
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
came from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to organize the revolutionary committee
Revolutionary committee
Revolutionary committees or revkoms were Bolshevik-led organizations in Soviet Russia and in areas of its activities established to serve as provisional governments and temporary Soviet administrations in territories under the control of the Red Army in 1918-1920, during the Russian Civil War and...
and he, at Nenin's
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
orders, would cut the telephone and telegraph line in Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary
Tatarbunary is a small town in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Tatarbunarskyi Raion , and is located north of the Danube Delta, in Budjak area, approximately south-west of the oblast center, Odessa.The word "Tatarbunary" means "Tatar Wells" in...
. Leonte Ţurcan, at the trial, informed that Nenin
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
presented himself as a student coming from Russia
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to organize the committees. Nenin
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
frequently asked about the state of the revolutionary committees and brought him two books – The Communist ABC and The Red Army. Ţurcan also said that after Nenin
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
went to Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
then to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, upon his arrival in Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, informed the committees that the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
promised to intervene when the revolution starts. Another participant to the uprising, Dimitrie Sevcone, spoke about the meetings held by Nenin
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov
Andrei Ivanovici Kliushnikov, real name Vasilii Surov , was a Soviet communist that took a very important role in the Tatarbunary Uprising....
and Kolţov in which they talked about the connections between the committees and Grigory Kotovsky’s army that also promised help.
On December 3, 1925, the War Council of Third Army Corps convicted 85 (none of them Romanians) out of 287 persons brought to trial. Iustin Batishcev was sentenced to life forced laborIustin Batishcev was convicted for life forced labor but in 1928 the sentence was reduce to 20 years and in 1930 it was reduce with 5 more years. He was to be freed on 9th of July 1941., the most severe penalty, Nichita Lisovoi and Leonte Ţurcan to 15 years forced labor, another three to 10 years and 20 others to 5 years in prison. The remaining received convictions of 1 to 3 years in prison. Also, each of the 85 convicts were to pay 1,000 lei representing legal charges.
Press Reaction
The trial attracted Soviet propagandaPropaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
and international attention, with Romain Rolland
Romain Rolland
Romain Rolland was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915.-Biography:...
, Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
, Paul Langevin
Paul Langevin
Paul Langevin was a prominent French physicist who developed Langevin dynamics and the Langevin equation. He was one of the founders of the Comité de vigilance des intellectuels antifascistes, an antifascist organization created in the wake of the 6 February 1934 far right riots...
, Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
, and Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, among others, speaking out on behalf of the defendants, while Henri Barbusse
Henri Barbusse
Henri Barbusse was a French novelist and a member of the French Communist Party.-Life:...
even traveled to Romania to witness the proceedings.
In the national newspapers the subject was presented in two different forms, both being critic to the uprising, except for the communist press. The pro-liberal and pro-government view emphasizes the danger of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
spreading in the country and treated the uprising as a terrorist and bandit attack. Opposition newspapers heavily criticized the authorities for the disproportionate response to the uprising and also accused the liberal Ion Brătianu
Ion Bratianu
Ion C. Brătianu was one of the major political figures of 19th century Romania. He was the younger brother of Dimitrie, as well as the father of Ionel, Dinu, and Vintilă Brătianu...
government of intentionally overstating the communist fear in order to extend the martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
to the whole country transforming it into a feudal state. The authorities admitted the disproportionate response but it was to late and Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
became known internationally as a „minorities prison”.
Constantin Costa-Foru
Constantin Costa-Foru
Constantin Gheorghe Costa-Foru was a Romanian journalist, lawyer and human rights activist.He was born in Bucharest, on 26 October, in a wealthy family of Jewish origin...
wrote several articles referring to the rebellion and claimed that it was not an uprising nor a bolshevik armed incursion but a disaster that took its roots in the harsh, incompetent administration and said that all who fell into disgrace were considered bolsheviks. French communist-militant Henri Barbusse
Henri Barbusse
Henri Barbusse was a French novelist and a member of the French Communist Party.-Life:...
attended the trial and wrote his famous book – Hangman (Romanian: Călăii) that brought serious international image problems for Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
. The book was published by the C.C. of M.O.P.R. in 1927.
Different views
Authorities of the Kingdom of RomaniaKingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
saw the incident as a mere terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
action backed by the Soviet Union, that tried to destabilise the situation inside the country and prepared for a Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
incursion.
However, the widespread condemnation of the rebellion inside Romania was also present with the country's non-communist socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
groups; the Socialist Federation
Romanian Social Democratic Party (defunct)
The Romanian Social Democratic Party was a social-democratic political party in Romania. It published the magazine România Muncitoare, and later Socialismul, Lumea Nouă, and Libertatea.-Early party:...
's Ilie Moscovici wrote in 1925:
"In Tatar Bunar, the Third International's agents provocateursAgent provocateurTraditionally, an agent provocateur is a person employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal act...
were involved, who, toying with the lives of Bessarabian peasants, wanted to prove to Europe that Bessarabians are in favour of the non-existent and ridiculous «Moldavian Republic».
A few peasants in a few isolated communesCommunes of RomaniaA commune is the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Romania. There are 2686 communes in Romania. The commune is the rural subdivision of a county .There is no clear restriction on the population of a commune, even though when a commune...
could not chase away the gendarmes [...] were it not for a few agents provocateurs assuring them that the revolution had begun throughout Bessarabia or that the red armies had entered or were about to enter."
The view was shared by the American scholar Charles Upson Clark
Charles Upson Clark
Charles Upson Clark was a professor of history at Columbia University. He discovered the Barberini Codex, the earliest Aztec writings on herbal medicines extant.-Biography:...
, according to whom:
"[...] the Tatar-Bunar rebellion was simply the most striking example of a Communist raid, engineered from without [...] and not a local revolution against intolerable conditions due to Roumanian oppression, as it was represented to be by the Socialist press everywhere."
Dutch professor Wim P. van Meurs, in his book dedicated to Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, considers the uprising as clearly instigated by communist agitators from across the Dniester
Dniester
The Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe. It runs through Ukraine and Moldova and separates most of Moldova's territory from the breakaway de facto state of Transnistria.-Names:...
and remarks that it was to well timed between the failure of the Vienna Conference and the proclamation of the Moldavian Autonomous Republic, moreover, for the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
not to be involved.
Ukrainian and Russian authors consider that main factors contributing to the uprising were of social-economic nature – economic crisis in Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
, the agricultural policy in 1921, the drought and famine of 1923/1924 and harsh administration. It should be noted that the Ukrainian and Russian populations, main participants, were on a greater social-economic scale compared to the Romanian population that was on the lowest scale and with the German
Bessarabia Germans
----The Bessarabia Germans are an ethnic group who lived in Bessarabia between 1814 and 1940. Between 1814 and 1842, 9000 of them immigrated from the German areas Baden, Württemberg, Alsace, Bavaria and some Prussian areas of modern-day Poland, to the Russian government of Bessarabia at the Black...
and Bulgarian
Bessarabian Bulgarians
The Bessarabian Bulgarians are a Bulgarian minority group of the historical region of Bessarabia, inhabiting parts of present-day Ukraine and Moldova.- Location and number :-Modern Ukraine:...
ones, comprising the richest populations. Also, during the uprising, the slogans used by the rebels were of nationalistic-political nature, like: Long live the Soviet Power!, Long live Soviet Bessarabia!, We aks for the unification with Soviet Ukraine!. Ever since unification
Union of Bessarabia with Romania
On , the Sfatul Ţării, or National Council, of Bessarabia proclaimed union with the Kingdom of Romania.-Governorate of Bessarabia:The 1812 Treaty of Bucharest between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empires provided for Russian annexation of the eastern half of the territory of the Principality...
Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
has been under martial law, because of numerous soviet subversive actions, with censorship and all other forms of interference with normal life and with Romanian Government officials that were overzealous or incompetent, both military and civil. Corruption also played an important part, sometimes even interfering with national security.
Long-term consequences
Many participants of the uprising took refuge across the Dniestr in the village of JuraJura, Transnistria
Jura is a commune in the Rîbniţa sub-district of Transnistria, Moldova. It is composed of a single village, Jura. It is currently under the administration of the breakaway government of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic....
(Camenca raion), then part of the newly created Moldavian ASSR
Moldavian ASSR
The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic , shortened to Moldavian ASSR or, less frequently, Moldovan ASSR, was an autonomous republic of the Ukrainian SSR between 12 October 1924 and 2 August 1940, encompassing modern Transnistria The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic...
, and were very well treated but most of them suffered greatly during the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
of 1937-1938.
Another event following the uprising was the de facto banning of the Romanian Communist Party by the third Mârzescu Law while the second had banned it de jure. The law was approved by the Parliament on 17 december and it came into force two days later thus leading to the arrests of almost all the communists members.
External Links
Charles Upson ClarkCharles Upson Clark
Charles Upson Clark was a professor of history at Columbia University. He discovered the Barberini Codex, the earliest Aztec writings on herbal medicines extant.-Biography:...
, Bessarabia. Russia and Roumania on the Black Sea: Chapter XXVIII, "The Tatar-Bunar Episode" Alexander Junco. Tatarbunary Uprising in Bessababia Speech related to the events in Tatarbunary, held by Under-secretary for Internal Affairs Gheorghe Tătărescu
Gheorghe Tatarescu
Gheorghe I. Tătărescu was a Romanian politician who served twice as Prime Minister of Romania , three times as Minister of Foreign Affairs , and once as Minister of War...
in 1926 , Part I, Part II Leonid Cemortan, "Drama intelectualilor basarabeni de stânga", in Revista Sud-Est Grigore D. Ripa, "Septembrie 1924 - Bolşevicii încearcă să recupereze Basarabia", in Jurnalul Naţional
Jurnalul National
Jurnalul Naţional is a Romanian newspaper, part of the Intact media group led by Dan Voiculescu, which also includes the popular TV station Antena 1....
, December 1, 2004 Revista Chronos, Conferinţa româno-sovietică de la Viena, 1924 Revista Chronos, Evenimentele de la Tatar-Bunar reflectate în presa vremii. Doina Otelita, Problema Basarabiei in evolutia Raporturilor Romano-Sovietice: 1918-1924 Valeria Bălescu, Tatar-Bunar, diversiune comunistă pentru cucerirea Basarabiei Pavel Moraru, Siguranţa Română în Basarabia Interbelică