Unele aspecte ale confruntării curentelor „românesc” și „moldovenist” în procesul de formare a RASS Moldovenești

The creation of the Moldovan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (MASSR) in 1924 was the result of a complex political and strategic context, primarily related to the Soviet Union’s policy toward Romania and the territories inhabited by Romanians. Moscow did not accept the unification of Bessarabia with Romania, and after the failure of negotiations and some Soviet actions in the region, it decided to establish the MASSR on the territory to the east of the Nistru river. The official reason was to support the national development of the “Moldovan” minority, but the real goal was political, aiming to destabilize the region, justify a potential annexation of Bessarabia, and prepare the ground for the spread of the communist revolution. During the formation of the MASSR, two contrasting political movements emerged: “Romanianization” and “autochthonous Moldovanism.” The conflicts between these groups influenced the final structure of the autonomy and the creation of a Moldovan national identity distinct from the Romanian one.