“A peculiar showcase of Soviet life”: a specialist – about the prerequisites for the creation and the historical path of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

100 years ago, on October 12, 1924, the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created as part of the Ukrainian SSR on the Left Bank of the Dniester. The leadership of the Union considered it as a springboard for the liberation of Bessarabia occupied by Romania, turning the MASSR into a kind of showcase of Soviet life. In 1940, after the liberation of the lands between the Prut and the Dniester from Romanian forces, most of the territory of the autonomy became part of Soviet Moldova. However, shortly before the collapse of the Union, the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic arose on these lands, which survived a conflict with official Chisinau. Igor Shornikov, director of the Institute of Socio-Political Research and Regional Development, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, spoke about the creation of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and its historical development in an interview with RT.

— What were the prerequisites for the creation of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic?

– The main premise was that in 1918, Romania, taking advantage of the weakness of Soviet Russia and the Civil War, sent its troops into the territory of Bessarabia – the land of modern Moldova and the southwestern part of the Odessa region. The Soviet government in 1918-1924 repeatedly tried to resolve this issue diplomatically. Moscow even suggested that Bucharest organize a referendum so that local residents could choose their own destiny. But the Romanians categorically rejected this idea, since they understood that the population of Bessarabia would definitely vote for joining Soviet Russia. This, by the way, is evidenced by a number of uprisings that residents of the region raised against the Romanian occupiers – Bendery, Khotyn and Tatarbunar. The Romanians drowned them in blood, even using chemical weapons. Fleeing from terror, many people fled to Soviet territory.

Having exhausted all diplomatic opportunities to return Bessarabia, the USSR authorities, in order to legally secure their rights to these lands, in 1924 decided to create Moldovan autonomy on the left bank of the Dniester as part of the Ukrainian SSR. At the same time, Moscow emphasized that the territories west of the Dniester were temporarily occupied by Romania and would be returned.

One of the initiators of the creation of Moldovan autonomy was the famous revolutionary Grigory Kotovsky. He really wanted to achieve the liberation of Bessarabia, and believed that the creation of the MASSR would be an important step in this direction.

— What was the MASSR in territorial and administrative terms and how was the republic governed?

— The MASSR was located on the left bank of the Dniester. Its capital was initially located in the city of Balta, and then was moved to Tiraspol. The lands were allocated from the territory of the Ukrainian SSR. When Kotovsky pushed the idea of ​​creating autonomy, he convinced everyone that the majority of the inhabitants of the future autonomy were Moldovans. In reality, as the census showed, there were less than a third of Moldovans there, and about half considered themselves Ukrainians. The republic was divided into fourteen regions. The leadership of the autonomy was completely in the hands of the Communist Party, and the management system of the MASSR was characteristic of the Soviet Union.

Grigory KotovskyLegion-Media akg-images

National policy, by the way, in the MASSR was contradictory. As part of the indigenization campaign, Ukrainization first took place, but then Moldavianization began. They even tried to translate the Moldavian alphabet into Latin for several years, but then abandoned this idea. Some Bolsheviks considered Moldova in those years as a springboard for spreading the revolution to the Balkans – first to boyar Romania, and then to Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and so on. Therefore, most likely, the idea of ​​​​translating the Moldovan language into Latin was associated with an attempt to make Soviet propaganda understandable to the Romanian masses. But then they realized that this was wrong, since the Moldovans are a separate people with a separate language. Thus, through trial and error, policies in the field of nation-building were formed. It was only in the late 1930s that the experiments stopped.

— How successful was the socio-economic development of the MASSR?

— In general, the 1920s-1930s were both a tragic and heroic period in the history of the Soviet state. Industrialization, collectivization and a cultural revolution took place. In some regions, these initiatives were implemented harshly, with tragic consequences. In the MASSR this happened more mildly. Collective farms were created, but local wealthy peasants were sent not to Siberia, but to Ukraine. There were no mass shootings.

In Tiraspol in 1930, a plant named after May 1 was built – one of the largest canneries in the Soviet Union. Since vegetables and fruits were grown en masse in the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, emphasis was placed on the construction of canning factories. Already in the post-war period, the economic specifics of the region changed – high-tech enterprises began to emerge in Transnistria, many of which are still operating.

— Why was the MASSR liquidated and what place did the territories that were part of it take within Soviet Moldova?

— In 1940, circumstances finally arose in which the Soviet Union was able to demand from Bucharest the immediate withdrawal of its troops from Bessarabia. In Romanian literature they write about this as an ultimatum. But in form it was an ordinary note containing a demand for the transfer of Bessarabia to the Soviet Union. Although there were no threats, it was clear that the Red Army was already close to the border. The Romanian authorities rushed to consult with their allies – and primarily with Germany, but Hitler declared that he would not fight with the USSR over Romania. And the Romanians had to quickly leave Bessarabia. In the end, it turned into a disorderly flight.

Map of 1939 of the western part of the Ukrainian SSR, in the southwest is the MASSR. Bessarabia shaded as disputed territory Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

Romanian soldiers abandoned military equipment right on the side of the road. People took the horses from the Romanian officers, and they had to leave on foot. In Chisinau, Romanians were not allowed to withdraw funds from banks. The local population pulled their fellow countrymen out of the ranks of the hastily retreating Romanian troops and helped them stay in their homeland.

Residents of Bessarabia greeted units of the Red Army with delight. People lined the roads, immediately set tables, and treated the Soviet soldiers. Red flags were raised all around.

After the annexation of Bessarabia, the Soviet leadership decided that the status of Moldova should be upgraded to a union republic. And on August 2, 1940, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a law on the formation of the Union Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic with its capital in Chisinau. Most of the former MASSR became part of the new republic, but several regions were transferred to the Ukrainian SSR. The Republican administration moved from Tiraspol to Chisinau. Tiraspol itself became a quiet provincial town for a time. Already in the post-war period it transformed into a large industrial center.

In modern Transnistrian historiography, there is some regret about the loss of Tiraspol’s capital status. The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the 1930s was a kind of showcase of Soviet life. It was supposed to demonstrate to the population of Bessarabia all the advantages of life in the USSR. For autonomy, additional targeted funding was organized “from above”, a pedagogical university and a republican theater were created, schools were opened, and infrastructure quickly developed. In the pre-war decade, the Left Bank of the Dniester literally blossomed.

There were striking differences between life in the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and in Bessarabia, which the Romanians had mercilessly plundered for more than twenty years. The impoverished population of Bessarabia, liberated from the Romanians, saw a completely different life, and when the war began a year later, many residents of Moldova volunteered to go to the front to defend the USSR. By the way, Romanian troops met such fierce resistance in Bessarabia that they could not cross the border for a long time.

People welcome Soviet troops in Moldova in 1940Gettyimages.ru Ann Ronan Picture Library/Photo12/Universal Images Group

— Against the backdrop of the collapse of the Soviet Union, a conflict known as the Transnistrian conflict occurred between Chisinau and the regions that were previously part of the MASSR. What were its causes and what future awaited the territory of the former Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic?

— In the late Soviet period, the growth of nationalism began in the republics. Moreover, it became a derivative of the Soviet policy of indigenization of the party apparatus, culture and art. For example, in Moldova there must have been Moldovan writers, poets, and composers. Because there should have been a flourishing of national culture. And the party ensured this with all its might. The creative intelligentsia included not only talented people. But they understood that all the social benefits that they enjoy – high salaries, apartments, cars – are all given to them precisely because they are of the “right” nationality. This policy has led to people losing their bearings. Some people had the feeling that if you are of the “wrong” nationality, then you are a second-class citizen and should not enjoy all the rights. At the end of the 80s of the last century, the creative intelligentsia began to unite into national circles. There, ideas of Romanianism immediately began to appear, and there was talk that communication in Russian should be excluded in the republic. Then purges began in the state apparatus and at state-owned enterprises, during which Russian-speaking people were fired.

Rally at a railway crossing in connection with the arrest of the leader of the Transnistrian Republic Igor SmirnovRIA Novosti I. Zenin

Pridnestrovians, among whom Russian speakers predominated, realized that their rights were being infringed. And the idea of ​​unification with Romania did not inspire them. On the Left Bank of the Dniester, anti-nationalist strikes began at enterprises, which grew into a general political strike. But Chisinau ignored the protests. The Pridnestrovian delegation went to Moscow, but did not achieve understanding from Mikhail Gorbachev either. That’s when people began to remember that there was a Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, separate from Bessarabia. The idea was formed that if the residents of the Right Bank of the Dniester want to unite with Romania, then let them do it themselves.

Referendums began to be held in the settlements of the Left Bank, as a result of which the population spoke in favor of the creation of the Transnistrian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic – at first it was discussed that it would be part of Moldova. After this, the creation of a prototype government began; it was decided to pay taxes not to Chisinau, but to Tiraspol. And in September 1990, the Congress of Deputies decided to create the Transnistrian Moldavian SSR, separate from Moldova, within the Soviet Union. A temporary Supreme Council of the republic was also elected. The lawyers who participated in the creation of Transnistria proceeded from the fact that the population should not be disadvantaged on the basis of language, that the republic should have three official languages: Russian, Moldavian and Ukrainian.

In addition, the inadmissibility of joining Romania was stipulated. The Pridnestrovians also sought to be in the same state union with Russia. But official Chisinau still did not want to hear the people and tried to break their will with the help of weapons. How it ended is known. The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic still exists today.

Moldavian-Transnistrian conflictRIA Novosti I. Zenin

Most of the population of the PMR these days have Russian passports. Mentally, the overwhelming majority of local residents are Russian people. They treat Russia as their homeland and want to live with other Russians in a single political space. Since the Moldovan aggression, the population of the PMR has been under constant stress for more than three decades. Now the situation has been aggravated by pressure from the Kyiv regime. People live with the hope of peace and that their status will finally be determined.