Bulgarian Landowners and the Romanian Administration in Southern Dobrudja (1918–1940)

The final accession of Southern Dobrudja to the Romanian state after 1918 put the local Bulgarian elites in an extremely difficult and delicate position. This caused many of the Dobrudja chiflikchii – large landowners – to occupy various political positions in an attempt to preserve their influence and wealth. Some joined Romanian political parties and tried to balance their new political networks with their patriotic feelings. Others had more radical positions - some emigrated to Bulgaria and lost their property in Dobrudja, others joined the communist party and took the path of class struggle, regardless of their origin. Loyalties were rarely clear-cut and interests often were often intertwined, as was the history of interwar South Dobrudja.