The Red Army in Romania

This book, written by two well-known specialists in twentieth century Romanian history, is the first comprehensive study of the Red Army's occupation of Romanian territory in 1940-1941, and its occupation of the country at the end of World War II, which lasted until the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the country in 1958. Based on previously unavailable archival sources, it will be of interest not only to students of contemporary Romanian history, but also to anyone interested in the occupation policies of the Red Army and Soviet policy in Eastern Europe at the end of World War II. The authors discuss the geopolitical and historical conditions that allowed the Red Army to occupy Romania, the consequences of the occupation on the country, particularly on political life, as it directly led to the establishment of a totalitarian communist regime in Romania. An important part of the book also deals with the consequences of Red Army's stationing on Romanian territory, its impact on the evolution of social relations in the country, and the opposition of Romanian society to the Russian occupation. Much attention is paid to the economic aspects of the occupation, where a detailed account of the costs and losses to the Romanian economy as consequence of the Red Army's abuses and its illegal confiscation of Romanian goods and materials and their export to the Soviet Union is presented. The circumstances surrounding the Red Army's withdrawal from Romania in 1958 is also discussed in detail. The appendixes include translations of many relevant documents referring to the Soviet occupation of Romania, making it a valuable book for students and researchers alike.