Romania in World War I

Long ago, a big war began.

Romania did not join at first. They stayed neutral for two years.

Many people in Romania wanted to join a group of allies. They wanted to gain more land.

This group included lands like Britain and France.

In 1916, Romania joined the war. It was a very hard fight. Many lands were taken by others.

Later, the war changed again. Romania had to stop fighting for a while. The leaders signed a peace deal.

But the king did not want that deal. He hoped for a better end. Soon, Romania joined the fight once more.

It was a very big change for the land.

During World War I, Romania stayed neutral for two years.

The country had a big choice to make. Many people wanted to join the Entente. The Entente was a group of allies like Britain and France.

Romanians wanted to gain more land. They hoped to take Transylvania. This area had many Romanian people living there. In August 1916, Romania joined the war. They fought against the Central Powers. These were groups like Germany and Austria-Hungary.

The war was very hard for Romania. Their army was large, but they lacked good tools. They had over 650,000 men.

However, they did not have enough good gear. The Central Powers pushed into Romanian land. By 1917, Romania was almost surrounded.

Romania had to sign a peace treaty in 1918. This treaty took away much of their land. King Ferdinand I did not want to sign it. He hoped the Allies would win the war. In November 1918, Romania joined the fight again.

Soon, the war ended. Romania's new status changed for good.

During World War I, the Kingdom of Romania faced a very difficult choice. For the first two years, the country stayed neutral.

The Romanian leaders had to decide which side to join. Many people in the country wanted to join the Entente. This was a group of allies including Britain, France, and Russia.

They wanted to join the Entente to gain more land. Specifically, they hoped to take Transylvania from the Austria-Hungary empire. Transylvania was a place with many Romanian people living there. It was also a region that had many natural resources.

Joining the war was a very hard job for Romania. The country had to prepare for a fight on two different sides. They had to defend the north in Transylvania. At the same time, they had to defend the south in Dobruja.

This meant fighting against the Bulgarian and Ottoman armies in the south. To prepare, Romania signed a military agreement with the Allies in August 1916. The Allies promised to send 300 tons of supplies every single day. They also promised to help fight against Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. However, many of these promises were not kept by the Allies.

Romania finally entered the war on August 27, 1916.

The Romanian army was quite large at this time. It had over 650,000 men organized into 23 different divisions. Even with so many soldiers, the army had many problems. They did not have enough good training or modern equipment. Their factories worked hard to make supplies for the soldiers. They produced 70 million bullets and 400,000 artillery rounds. They even made 1.5 tons of explosives every day.

The fighting was very intense and led to many setbacks. The Central Powers, including Germany and Austria-Hungary, pushed deep into Romanian land. By the end of 1916, most of the country was lost. Only a small area called Western Moldavia remained under control. In 1917, Romania was almost completely surrounded by its enemies. This pressure forced the country to sign a peace treaty in May 1918.

This treaty was very hard on Romania. It said they must give up land and let Germany use their oil for 99 years.

Even though the treaty was signed, the story did not end there. King Ferdinand I refused to officially approve the treaty. He stayed hopeful that the Allies would win the war on the Western Front.

His hope came true when the Central Powers began to lose strength. On November 10, 1918, Romania re-entered the war. They moved forward into Transylvania just as the war was ending. This moment changed the map of Europe forever. It helped Romania grow into a much larger nation after the fighting stopped.

The Kingdom of Romania played a decisive role in the Eastern Front of World War I. At the start of the conflict, Romania was a growing nation with significant territorial goals. Although it had gained independence after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, many ethnic Romanians lived outside its borders. These people lived in Transylvania, which belonged to Austria-Hungary, and in Bessarabia, which was part of the Russian Empire.

For the first two years of the war, Romania remained neutral. This decision was driven by deep social and political divisions within the country. The Romanian monarchy followed the House of Hohenzollern, a dynasty of Germanic origin. Because of these roots, the monarchy was sympathetic toward the Central Powers. However, the political elite and the general public favored the Entente. The Entente was an alliance that included Britain, France, Italy, and Russia.

Joining the Entente offered Romania a chance to expand its territory. The primary goal was to acquire Transylvania from Austria-Hungary. This region was highly desirable because it had a Romanian-speaking majority and was rich in natural resources. To secure these gains, Romania demanded specific guarantees from the Allies. They requested Russian military help against Bulgaria and a daily shipment of 300 tons of provisions. They also wanted an Allied offensive against the Ottoman Empire.

In August 1916, Romania received an ultimatum to join the war. Under this pressure, the government signed a military convention with the Allies on August 13. Romania officially declared war on Austria-Hungary on August 27, 1916.

The Romanian army was large, consisting of over 650,000 men in 23 divisions. Despite this size, the troops suffered from poor training and inadequate equipment. The nation's factories worked hard to support the effort. They produced 400,000 artillery rounds and 70 million bullets. They also manufactured 1.5 tons of explosives every day.

The Romanian military strategy was known as Hypothesis Z. This plan involved attacking Austria-Hungary in Transylvania while defending the south in Dobruja and Giurgiu. This meant Romania had to fight a war on two fronts against Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. While there were some initial successes in Transylvania, the situation changed quickly. German divisions began aiding Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. By the end of 1916, the Central Powers had occupied two-thirds of the country. Only Western Moldavia remained under Romanian and Russian control.

By 1917, Romania faced even greater isolation. The Russian army withdrew from the war following the October Revolution. This left Romania almost completely surrounded by the Central Powers. Although Romanian forces won defensive victories at Mărăști, Mărășești, and Oituz, the pressure became insurmountable. On May 7, 1918, Romania signed the Treaty of Bucharest with the Central Powers.

The treaty terms were very harsh. Romania had to lose all of Dobruja to Bulgaria and all Carpathian passes to Austria-Hungary. Additionally, Germany was granted a 99-year lease on all Romanian oil reserves.

Despite the treaty, the conflict did not end for Romania. King Ferdinand I refused to officially approve the document. He remained hopeful that the Allies would achieve a victory on the Western Front. As the Central Powers' war efforts began to collapse, Romania saw an opportunity. In October 1918, Romania renounced the Treaty of Bucharest. On November 10, 1918, the nation re-entered the war.

They advanced into Transylvania just as the German armistice was being prepared. The next day, the terms of the Treaty of Compiègne nullified the Treaty of Bucharest, fundamentally changing the borders of the region.