Before I get to the suggestions, a short history lesson for context.
Antiquity and Medieval History: Where Romania rests today, and older kingdom used to rest by the time of the Romans, the Kingdom of Dacia. However, in 106 AD the Kingdom of Dacia was finally conquered by the Roman Empire, leading to the settling of Roman colonists while Roman war veterans were given land in Dacia as a reward. Although this was the end of the Kingdom of Dacia, it was not the end of the Dacians, who would occasionally stage revolts against their Roman overlords, but not all Dacian clans would oppose the Romans, some would willingly integrate into the Roman Empire and become proud citizens of Rome.
In 271 AD however, unable to defend the Roman provice of Dacia from barbarians, Emperor Aurelian retreated the army and the state to the better defendable Danube river. Behind the Roman retreat, remained a population that already mixed with Romans since the time of the Roman Conquest and adopted the costums and culture of Rome. When various barbarian tribes came from the East such as the: Huns, Gepids, Avars, Slavs and Magyar came, the now Daco-Romans population left without a centralized government would pay tribute to their overlords in exchange for being left alone as the migratory tribes had no interest in agriculture themselves.
Eventually, the Bulgarians then Pechenegs then Cumans then Maygars took what would become Wallachia and Moldavia while the Avars then Bulgarians then Maygars took what would become Transylvania, with the Daco-Romans being mostly the peasants working the land and occasionally ending up in a power position such as baron or count, now called Vlachs meaning "strangers" in old Germanic, although in their tongue they still called themselves "Romans".
By year 1300, Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia were under the Kingdom of Hungary. However, the king of Hungary, Charles I Robert, had the great idea of establishing local puppet rulers in Wallachia and Moldavia, what could go wrong? The puppet ruler of Wallachia, Bassarab I, revolted against the Kingdom of Hungary and won, gaining independence. Then shortly after the puppet ruler of Moldavia, Bogdan I, revolted against the Kingdom of Hungary and won, gaining independence.
At least Charles I Robert was inspired enough not to do the same thing in Transylvania, probably because unlike Wallachia and Moldavia, Hungary had to take Transylvania from the locals. Having to defeat the duchies of Gelou, Glad and Menumorut who were Vlach rulers that were vassals of the First Bulgarian Empire during the Hungarian Conquest of the 10th century.
When Moldavia became independent in 1346, Bessarabia was part of Moldavia. Southern Bessarbia was lost to the Ottoman Empire in 1484 but the rest of Moldavia remained the same. Until Bukovina was lost to the Austrian Empire in 1774 and Bessarabia was lost to the Russian Empire in 1812.
Using this map of historical regions of Greater Romania as refernece, Moldavia went from Blue + Brown + Peach to only blue by 1812.
The 19th Century: Luckly for Romania, the 19th century is when thing started to turn in their favor.
In 1821, after a peasant revolt the Ottoman Empire removed the puppet Greek rulers from Wallachia and Moldavia, the country began to modernize and catch up with the times. But most importantly, the rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia actually started to give a damn about Wallachia and Moldavia.
In 1848, this big "wow" of history, the liberal revolts in Wallachia and Moldavia were a failure except for a costum union formed between Wallachia and Moldavia. However, Transylvania was a new level of "wow". In the Austrian Empire, the Hungarians revolted demanding freedom and equality. The Transylvanian Romanians initially supported the Hungarians, until the Hungarians demanded that Transylvania be incorporated in the Kingdom of Hungary. Then the Transylvanian Romanians re-revolted against the Hungarians and allied with the Austrians. After the Hungarians were defeated, the leader of the Romanians, Avram Iancu, demand of creating an Austrian province for Romanians made out of Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina. The Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I refused fearing that he will replace Hungarian nationalism with Romanian nationalism (and given what happened in World War I he was right), but he allowed the creation of Romanian administrative offices in the Austrian Empire and granted the Romanians numerous liberties and rights. Until 1867 when Transylvania was incorporated in the Austrian Empire and all of that was undoed.
Meanwhile in Wallachia and Moldavia, taking advantage from the end of the Crimean War between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in 1856, the unionists from Wallachia and Moldavia brought their case to the great power: union between Wallachia and Moldavia (what was left of it anyway).
In 1858, the great powers agreed but made it deliberately ineffective. They will be united mostly in name. They will still have: 2 separate institutions, 2 separate governments, 2 separate armies and 2 separate thrones and will be known as "the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia". It was only a matter of time before the 2 separate rulers would disagree on something. This was known as "The Convention from Paris".
However, the Romanians pulled out a sneaky. "The Convention from Paris" said "two separate thrones" not "two separate rulers", it didn't say anywhere that the Romanians couldn't elect the same man as ruler of Wallachia and ruler of Moldavia, which is exactly what happened an Colonel Alexander Ioan Cuza became prince of Moldavia on 5 of January 1959 and prince of Wallachia on 24 of January 1959.
Understandably upset, the Ottoman Empire threatened to invade. But the rest of the great powers were like "nah, the Romanians are technically right". And so another convention as made, and it was decided that this union of the thrones would last but only as long as Alexander Ioan Cuza was the ruler, after that, there will have to be 2 separate rulers on each throne.
But Alexander Ioan Cuza slowly united each institution, one by one, until, by the end of his reign in 1866 Moldavia and Wallachia were effectively one country. Fearing the Ottoman invasion, the Romanian politicians looked put a foreign prince from the west on the throne to gain the sympathy of the great powers and stop an Ottoman invasion. This is how the German prince Carol I of Hohenzollern became prince of Romania, and with support from France and Prussia the Ottoman Empire stopped their invasion of Romania and formally recognized the union of the whole country.
In 1877 Romania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire and in 1881 was proclaimed a kingdom, the Kingdom of Romania.
What were Bessarabia and Bukovina doing all this time? Just being Russian and Austrian territories.
The World War I: Although Banat, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia were under foreign powers for century at this point, most of Banat, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia still had a had a Romanian majority by 1914. Roughly half of the total numbers of Romanians in the world lived outside the Kingdom of Romania. This was the pretext for Romania's territorial claims in 1916.
In fact, Romania also claimed West Banat that would eventually become part of Yugoslavia, Carpathian Ruthenia that would eventually become part of Czechoslovakia and Alfrod that would eventually remain part of Hungary, citing historical right, as before the Hungarian conquests of the 10th century, Glad's domain included Carpathian Ruthenia and Menumorut's domain included Arfold. However, there were hardly any Romanians in West Banat, Carpathian Ruthenia and Alfrod.
In 1917, when the February Revolution started in Russia, the region of Bessarabia created the Sfatul Tarii (a government) and declared autonomy, stating that they wish to become a Federal State within the new Russia, after the October Revolution when the communists took power they gave up any plans for autonomy and declared union with Romania. Originally, it was a conditional union and Bessarabia would become a autonomus region within Romania, but after Bukovina and Transylvania also united with Romania, they modified the 27 March act and changed the union to an unconditional one.
The resolution of the Moldovan Bloc that was read and voted in the meeting of 27 March 1918 of the Country Council in Chisinau.
In 1918, the Romanians of Bukovina formed the General Congress of Bukovina (a govnerment) and shortly after declared unconditional union with Romania.
In 1918, the Romanians of Transylvania and Banat formed the General Assembly and voted for a conditional union with Romania, the Germans of Transylvania were also in favor of union with Romania. Unlike Bessarabia's conditional union, Transylvania was not to become an autonomus region, at least not permanently, as they requested temporary autonomy until the new Romanian state is ogranized and that they will have a say in the constitution of the new Romanian state.
The union of Transylvania with Romania had a little more ups and downs as the Hungarians would cling tightly to it.
First, a Transylvanian Romanian politician called Vasile Goldis declared to the Budapest Parliament on 12 October 1918 that only the Romanians are allowed to speak in the name of Romanians:
Then, on the back of this declaration the National Assembly in Transylvania was formed.
During the National Assembly in Alba Iulia, Vasile Goldis said the following, which sums up the perspective of Transylvanian Romanians:
After a lot of talk, a resolution of union was formed and orated in a final speech of Iuliu Maniu:
After the Transylvanian Romanian's declaration of union with Romania, the Bessarabian Romanians gave up on autonomy:
However, the Soviet Union was not so happy about this. Arguing that Romania annexed the region of Bessarabia when the Soviet Union was in a moment of weakness. Which is only half right, you can hardly call it annexation when those people ask you to become part of your country, but it was made when the Soviet Union was in a moment of weakness, the Russian Civil War, and it wouldn't have been possible otherwise. And since there was no formal treaty between Romania and Russia/USSR, technically Bessarabia was still de jure part of USSR as the Soviet Union never accepted the Bessarabian declaration of independence on 1917.
Now it becomes relevant for the game: This "illegal takeover of Bessarabia" promped the USSR never to return the Romanian national treasure of 120 tones of gold that was sent to Russia for safekeeping in 1916 and it goes without saying that the union of Bessarabia with Romania was never formally recognized by USSR either.
This promoted the USSR to create the Moldovan ASSR, or Moldovan Autonomus Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924:
en.wikipedia.org
If Ukraine and Belarus are included in Barbarossa, it would be nice if Moldovan ASSR would be included too, as it had the same status as Ukraine and Belarus in spite of its size.
When USSR took Bessrabia and Northern Bukovina in 1940, Northern Bukovina + Hotin region from Bessarabia + Southern Bessarabia from Bessarabia were given to Ukraine; while the rest of Bessarabia was incorporated into the Moldovan ASSR founded in 1924.
Leading to this border, with the darker region being on the east side of Dniester river:
And for those who wonder, Hotin is this small piece of upper Bessarabia:
While Hertza region was never part of Bessarbia or Bukovina but still taken by USSR, more information here explaining how the split of Bukovina happened:
forum.paradoxplaza.com
Finally, suggestions!
1. The region of Southern Bessarabia shouldn't be an Ukrainian core -> It only had 18% Ukrainian population at the time and was never previously part of Ukraine. There were more Bulgarians, Russians and Romanians in Southern Bessarabia than Ukrainians. The only reason a core was added in Waking the Tiger is because Southern Bessarabia is nowdays part of Ukraine, which is an absurd reasoning, the equivalent of giving Poland a core on Hinterpommern because is nowdays part of Poland, but was full of Germans during World War II.
2. The shape of the state of Bessarabia shouldn't include Hotin province -> The current shape and cores of the eastern regions of Romania is a mess, it's like it wants to be a combination of the 1917 and 1945 borders without being neither of them. If you want to make the 1917 borders then Hotin should be included, but just like the state borders for Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc, I think the game has in mind to make the 1945 borders possible, in that case the province of Hotin should not be included in Bessarabia.
3. If Hotin province is attached to North Bukovina instead, the region should be renamed Cernauti -> Because it no longer includes just North Bukovina, thus, calling it as such would be wrong. It would be nice to keep North Bukovina in the game, but that means either: (a) make the 1945 borders impossible or (b) make the 1945 borders possible but make Hotin a separate region; which is why I think simply attaching Hotin to North Bukovina and renaming the region to Cernauti is the best trade-off.
4. Add a new region in USSR called Transnistira, right on the east bank of Dniester river bordering Bessarabia -> This region would eventually become part of Moldova/Bessarabia after it was taken by USSR in 1940. In fact, the modern borders of the Republic of Moldova includes this region. So, if we wish to make the 1945 borders possible, this region needs to be included and given a Moldovan core/Moldovan ASSR core.
According to the 1936 census, The Moldovan ASSR had a population of 31% Romanians, this is because after 1812 Romanians were free to move anywhere within the Russian Empire, and some of them moved on the eastern bank of the Dniester river. Whether 31% Romanians is enough for a Romanian core on Transnistira is up for the devs to consider. But it should have a Moldovan core/Moldovan ASSR core for accurate 1945 borders reasons.
5. If Ukraine and Belarus are added as countries with special status in the game, add Moldovan ASSR in the game -> The Moldovan ASSR founded in 1924 including Transnistria. After USSR took Bessarabia in 1940, Transnistria became part of the Moldovan SSR together with landlocked Bessarabia. Actually, Bessarabia was incorporated into Moldovan ASSR renamed Moldovan SSR and the capital was moved to Chisinau. It did not include Northern Bukovina, Hotin and Southern Bessarabia who were transferred to Ukrainian SSR. You can see from the map above, the part of Transnistira that became part of Moldova on the map above in the east. If Ukraine and Belarus are included in Barbarossa, it would be nice if Moldovan ASSR would be included too, as it had the same status as Ukraine and Belarus in spite of its size.
Moldovan ASSR and the country of Moldova already existing in the game, could effectively be the same country, an independent Moldova when democratic and a Moldovan ASSR/SSR when communist.
6. If Ukraine, Belarus and Moldovan ASSR are added, after Romania gives up Bessarbia, add USSR decisions, give Cernauti and Southern Bessarabia to Ukraine or to Moldovan ASSR -> In real life, Stalin gave it to Ukraine not to make the Moldovans too strong. But in an alternative timeline, the player could give them to Moldovan ASSR instead. This would have the benefit of Moldovan ASSR gaining cores on Cernauti and Southern Bessarabia, since the population there was mostly Romanian/Moldovan.
7. If USSR manages to conquer in-Romania Moldova state as well, it can get a decision to also make it a core of Moldovan ASSR, if Bessarabia is also a core -> If Bessarabia was also a core to avoid border gore. And the reasoning for the core is also because the Moldovan ASSR had the propaganda narrative that the Moldovans are different from Romanians. And hte people in the in-Romania Moldova state were Moldovans. So the Soviet propaganda could work with the in-Romania Moldova state, and maybe a good old fashoned Stalin show of force, but it would not work/make sense with the rest of Romania, because there's no way to justify that the Romanians from Wallachia or Transylvania are also Moldovans, no matter how stretched your propaganda is.
Map for better illustration: I suggest moving the region border between Northern Bukovina an Bessarabia (from blue left, as in in the game, to blue right) so that the Hotin provice will be part of Northern Bukovina. It's not realistic while within part of Greater Romania, but it is realistic after the 1945 borders, so that proper Moldavian ASSR can be formed (the red long line, poorly drawn, right next to Romania, is supposed to be Transnistria, that was the original Moldovan ASSR since 1924). The rest are just border suggestion from another topic.
The blue lines are 2 different choices with pros and cons each.
- With the choice from the left you can form historical Austria-Hungary but can't form 1945 Moldova.
- With the choice from the right you can form historical 1945 Moldova but can't form proper Austria-Hungary and Hotin wasn't part of Bukovina while in Greater Romania.
- There is also a 3rd option, to make Hotin a completely new provice, but I believe that's an overcomplication.
As for the rest of the map, from left to right:
- Hungary will be split by rivers.
- South Bukovina will also exist so that Austria-Hungary can form its old borders. I did my best but my red line isn't exactly right.
- Transnistira has correct borders.
- The long border between Romania and USSR is the part of Transnitria that was given to Moldova in 1945, it should be a Moldovan core, the red line isn't exactly right.
- And I made all the Soviet Borders on the Dnieper river.
8. The Soviet Union should get a claim on Southern Bessarabia as well after Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact -> This doesn't change the game in any significant way, but having USSR claiming Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia but not Southern Bessarabia (state ID: 766) breaks immersion a bit.
9. There should be no Moldovan State possible in Bessarabia or Southern Bessarabia before USSR captures Bessarabia -> Similar to the impossibility of splitting Czechoslovakia into Czech Republic and Slovakia before Germany invades. Before World War II, there was no idea of Bessarabian separation from Romania, it was not even like Slovaks and Czechs where the Slovaks acknowledge they are different people, the people of Bessarabia considered themselves as Romanian as the rest of them. This was unlike Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia and more like Italy except the language different wasn't that big.
It was only after USSR's conquest that things started to fall apart: The official stance of the Soviet Union's government was that Moldovan culture and nationality are distinct from Romanian, the Latin alphabet was replaced with the Cyrillic alphabet and the language was renamed Moldovan, the access of native Bessarabians to positions in administration and economy was limited as they were considered untrustworthy, the authors that promoted a Romanian national sentiment were banned, ethnic cleansing by mass deporting native Bessarabians in Siberia started and Gagauz, Russians and Ukrainians were brought in. It took years and a lot of forced propaganda before the idea of Moldovans (from Bessarabia) being separated from Romanians took roots.
In summary, what I suggest to make the region of Bessarbia + Transnistria historically accurate is the following:
1. Remove the Ukrainian core on Southern Bessarabia. (only 18% population)
2. Attach the Hotin province (the uppermost province of Bessarabia) to Northern Bukovina. (make 1945 borders possible)
3. Rename the Northern Bukovina to Cernauti (with Hotin attached to it, it's no longer just Northern Bukovina so it would be wrong to call it as such)
4. Add one more state region in USSR called Transnistira. (it existed in real life as Moldovan ASSR and would become part of 1945 Moldovan SSR)
5. When Romania demands Transnistira (the Romanian Occupied during 1941-1944 one) it gains claims on states 192 and 198 and the newly created region Transnistira (just like in real life)
6. If Ukraine & Belarus get special status, Moldovan ASSR in Transnistria should get special status as well (it had the same status as Ukraine and Belarus)
7. If Moldovan ASSR is added, after Romania gives up Bessarabia, USSR could get an decision: either giving Cernauti and Southern Bessarabia to Ukraine or to Moldovan ASSR. If it's given to Moldovan ASSR, the Moldovan ASSR gains cores on them. (They were Romanians/Moldovans)
8. If USSR manages to conquer in-Romania Moldova state as well, it can get a decision to also make it a core of Moldovan ASSR, if Bessarabia is also a core.
9. USSR should claim Southern Bessarabia after Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.
10. There should be no Moldovan country core in 1936 or 1939 as (there was no desire for separation)
Antiquity and Medieval History: Where Romania rests today, and older kingdom used to rest by the time of the Romans, the Kingdom of Dacia. However, in 106 AD the Kingdom of Dacia was finally conquered by the Roman Empire, leading to the settling of Roman colonists while Roman war veterans were given land in Dacia as a reward. Although this was the end of the Kingdom of Dacia, it was not the end of the Dacians, who would occasionally stage revolts against their Roman overlords, but not all Dacian clans would oppose the Romans, some would willingly integrate into the Roman Empire and become proud citizens of Rome.
In 271 AD however, unable to defend the Roman provice of Dacia from barbarians, Emperor Aurelian retreated the army and the state to the better defendable Danube river. Behind the Roman retreat, remained a population that already mixed with Romans since the time of the Roman Conquest and adopted the costums and culture of Rome. When various barbarian tribes came from the East such as the: Huns, Gepids, Avars, Slavs and Magyar came, the now Daco-Romans population left without a centralized government would pay tribute to their overlords in exchange for being left alone as the migratory tribes had no interest in agriculture themselves.
Eventually, the Bulgarians then Pechenegs then Cumans then Maygars took what would become Wallachia and Moldavia while the Avars then Bulgarians then Maygars took what would become Transylvania, with the Daco-Romans being mostly the peasants working the land and occasionally ending up in a power position such as baron or count, now called Vlachs meaning "strangers" in old Germanic, although in their tongue they still called themselves "Romans".
By year 1300, Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldavia were under the Kingdom of Hungary. However, the king of Hungary, Charles I Robert, had the great idea of establishing local puppet rulers in Wallachia and Moldavia, what could go wrong? The puppet ruler of Wallachia, Bassarab I, revolted against the Kingdom of Hungary and won, gaining independence. Then shortly after the puppet ruler of Moldavia, Bogdan I, revolted against the Kingdom of Hungary and won, gaining independence.
At least Charles I Robert was inspired enough not to do the same thing in Transylvania, probably because unlike Wallachia and Moldavia, Hungary had to take Transylvania from the locals. Having to defeat the duchies of Gelou, Glad and Menumorut who were Vlach rulers that were vassals of the First Bulgarian Empire during the Hungarian Conquest of the 10th century.
When Moldavia became independent in 1346, Bessarabia was part of Moldavia. Southern Bessarbia was lost to the Ottoman Empire in 1484 but the rest of Moldavia remained the same. Until Bukovina was lost to the Austrian Empire in 1774 and Bessarabia was lost to the Russian Empire in 1812.
Using this map of historical regions of Greater Romania as refernece, Moldavia went from Blue + Brown + Peach to only blue by 1812.
The 19th Century: Luckly for Romania, the 19th century is when thing started to turn in their favor.
In 1821, after a peasant revolt the Ottoman Empire removed the puppet Greek rulers from Wallachia and Moldavia, the country began to modernize and catch up with the times. But most importantly, the rulers of Wallachia and Moldavia actually started to give a damn about Wallachia and Moldavia.
In 1848, this big "wow" of history, the liberal revolts in Wallachia and Moldavia were a failure except for a costum union formed between Wallachia and Moldavia. However, Transylvania was a new level of "wow". In the Austrian Empire, the Hungarians revolted demanding freedom and equality. The Transylvanian Romanians initially supported the Hungarians, until the Hungarians demanded that Transylvania be incorporated in the Kingdom of Hungary. Then the Transylvanian Romanians re-revolted against the Hungarians and allied with the Austrians. After the Hungarians were defeated, the leader of the Romanians, Avram Iancu, demand of creating an Austrian province for Romanians made out of Transylvania, Banat and Bukovina. The Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I refused fearing that he will replace Hungarian nationalism with Romanian nationalism (and given what happened in World War I he was right), but he allowed the creation of Romanian administrative offices in the Austrian Empire and granted the Romanians numerous liberties and rights. Until 1867 when Transylvania was incorporated in the Austrian Empire and all of that was undoed.
Meanwhile in Wallachia and Moldavia, taking advantage from the end of the Crimean War between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in 1856, the unionists from Wallachia and Moldavia brought their case to the great power: union between Wallachia and Moldavia (what was left of it anyway).
In 1858, the great powers agreed but made it deliberately ineffective. They will be united mostly in name. They will still have: 2 separate institutions, 2 separate governments, 2 separate armies and 2 separate thrones and will be known as "the United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia". It was only a matter of time before the 2 separate rulers would disagree on something. This was known as "The Convention from Paris".
However, the Romanians pulled out a sneaky. "The Convention from Paris" said "two separate thrones" not "two separate rulers", it didn't say anywhere that the Romanians couldn't elect the same man as ruler of Wallachia and ruler of Moldavia, which is exactly what happened an Colonel Alexander Ioan Cuza became prince of Moldavia on 5 of January 1959 and prince of Wallachia on 24 of January 1959.
Understandably upset, the Ottoman Empire threatened to invade. But the rest of the great powers were like "nah, the Romanians are technically right". And so another convention as made, and it was decided that this union of the thrones would last but only as long as Alexander Ioan Cuza was the ruler, after that, there will have to be 2 separate rulers on each throne.
But Alexander Ioan Cuza slowly united each institution, one by one, until, by the end of his reign in 1866 Moldavia and Wallachia were effectively one country. Fearing the Ottoman invasion, the Romanian politicians looked put a foreign prince from the west on the throne to gain the sympathy of the great powers and stop an Ottoman invasion. This is how the German prince Carol I of Hohenzollern became prince of Romania, and with support from France and Prussia the Ottoman Empire stopped their invasion of Romania and formally recognized the union of the whole country.
In 1877 Romania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire and in 1881 was proclaimed a kingdom, the Kingdom of Romania.
What were Bessarabia and Bukovina doing all this time? Just being Russian and Austrian territories.
The World War I: Although Banat, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia were under foreign powers for century at this point, most of Banat, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia still had a had a Romanian majority by 1914. Roughly half of the total numbers of Romanians in the world lived outside the Kingdom of Romania. This was the pretext for Romania's territorial claims in 1916.
In fact, Romania also claimed West Banat that would eventually become part of Yugoslavia, Carpathian Ruthenia that would eventually become part of Czechoslovakia and Alfrod that would eventually remain part of Hungary, citing historical right, as before the Hungarian conquests of the 10th century, Glad's domain included Carpathian Ruthenia and Menumorut's domain included Arfold. However, there were hardly any Romanians in West Banat, Carpathian Ruthenia and Alfrod.
In 1917, when the February Revolution started in Russia, the region of Bessarabia created the Sfatul Tarii (a government) and declared autonomy, stating that they wish to become a Federal State within the new Russia, after the October Revolution when the communists took power they gave up any plans for autonomy and declared union with Romania. Originally, it was a conditional union and Bessarabia would become a autonomus region within Romania, but after Bukovina and Transylvania also united with Romania, they modified the 27 March act and changed the union to an unconditional one.
The resolution of the Moldovan Bloc that was read and voted in the meeting of 27 March 1918 of the Country Council in Chisinau.
After the vote on the resolution, it became the declaration of unification of Bessarabia with Romania.
In 1918, the Romanians of Bukovina formed the General Congress of Bukovina (a govnerment) and shortly after declared unconditional union with Romania.
The declaration of union of Bukovina with Romania, 28 November 1918.
In 1918, the Romanians of Transylvania and Banat formed the General Assembly and voted for a conditional union with Romania, the Germans of Transylvania were also in favor of union with Romania. Unlike Bessarabia's conditional union, Transylvania was not to become an autonomus region, at least not permanently, as they requested temporary autonomy until the new Romanian state is ogranized and that they will have a say in the constitution of the new Romanian state.
The union of Transylvania with Romania had a little more ups and downs as the Hungarians would cling tightly to it.
First, a Transylvanian Romanian politician called Vasile Goldis declared to the Budapest Parliament on 12 October 1918 that only the Romanians are allowed to speak in the name of Romanians:
After that, he quickly left the parilment in an aleardy prepared escape car fearing for his life.
Then, on the back of this declaration the National Assembly in Transylvania was formed.
During the National Assembly in Alba Iulia, Vasile Goldis said the following, which sums up the perspective of Transylvanian Romanians:
After a lot of talk, a resolution of union was formed and orated in a final speech of Iuliu Maniu:
But although the Romanian army effectively occupied the region, the union would not be formally recognized until the Treaty of Trianon in 1920.
After the Transylvanian Romanian's declaration of union with Romania, the Bessarabian Romanians gave up on autonomy:
Declaration of the Country Council renouncing the conditions formulated in the act of Union of 27 March 1918, issued on 10 December 1918.
However, the Soviet Union was not so happy about this. Arguing that Romania annexed the region of Bessarabia when the Soviet Union was in a moment of weakness. Which is only half right, you can hardly call it annexation when those people ask you to become part of your country, but it was made when the Soviet Union was in a moment of weakness, the Russian Civil War, and it wouldn't have been possible otherwise. And since there was no formal treaty between Romania and Russia/USSR, technically Bessarabia was still de jure part of USSR as the Soviet Union never accepted the Bessarabian declaration of independence on 1917.
Now it becomes relevant for the game: This "illegal takeover of Bessarabia" promped the USSR never to return the Romanian national treasure of 120 tones of gold that was sent to Russia for safekeeping in 1916 and it goes without saying that the union of Bessarabia with Romania was never formally recognized by USSR either.
This promoted the USSR to create the Moldovan ASSR, or Moldovan Autonomus Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924:
Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic - Wikipedia
If Ukraine and Belarus are included in Barbarossa, it would be nice if Moldovan ASSR would be included too, as it had the same status as Ukraine and Belarus in spite of its size.
When USSR took Bessrabia and Northern Bukovina in 1940, Northern Bukovina + Hotin region from Bessarabia + Southern Bessarabia from Bessarabia were given to Ukraine; while the rest of Bessarabia was incorporated into the Moldovan ASSR founded in 1924.
Leading to this border, with the darker region being on the east side of Dniester river:
And for those who wonder, Hotin is this small piece of upper Bessarabia:
While Hertza region was never part of Bessarbia or Bukovina but still taken by USSR, more information here explaining how the split of Bukovina happened:
"By my order and on my responsibility, open fire!" - 1940, South and North Bukovina's future border
On 23 August 1939, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin joined hands, through their foreign ministers, Molotov and Ribbentrop, in a "non-aggression pact" that secretly provided for the division of Europe. To Adolf Hitler was awarded, on behalf of the...
Finally, suggestions!
1. The region of Southern Bessarabia shouldn't be an Ukrainian core -> It only had 18% Ukrainian population at the time and was never previously part of Ukraine. There were more Bulgarians, Russians and Romanians in Southern Bessarabia than Ukrainians. The only reason a core was added in Waking the Tiger is because Southern Bessarabia is nowdays part of Ukraine, which is an absurd reasoning, the equivalent of giving Poland a core on Hinterpommern because is nowdays part of Poland, but was full of Germans during World War II.
2. The shape of the state of Bessarabia shouldn't include Hotin province -> The current shape and cores of the eastern regions of Romania is a mess, it's like it wants to be a combination of the 1917 and 1945 borders without being neither of them. If you want to make the 1917 borders then Hotin should be included, but just like the state borders for Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, etc, I think the game has in mind to make the 1945 borders possible, in that case the province of Hotin should not be included in Bessarabia.
3. If Hotin province is attached to North Bukovina instead, the region should be renamed Cernauti -> Because it no longer includes just North Bukovina, thus, calling it as such would be wrong. It would be nice to keep North Bukovina in the game, but that means either: (a) make the 1945 borders impossible or (b) make the 1945 borders possible but make Hotin a separate region; which is why I think simply attaching Hotin to North Bukovina and renaming the region to Cernauti is the best trade-off.
4. Add a new region in USSR called Transnistira, right on the east bank of Dniester river bordering Bessarabia -> This region would eventually become part of Moldova/Bessarabia after it was taken by USSR in 1940. In fact, the modern borders of the Republic of Moldova includes this region. So, if we wish to make the 1945 borders possible, this region needs to be included and given a Moldovan core/Moldovan ASSR core.
According to the 1936 census, The Moldovan ASSR had a population of 31% Romanians, this is because after 1812 Romanians were free to move anywhere within the Russian Empire, and some of them moved on the eastern bank of the Dniester river. Whether 31% Romanians is enough for a Romanian core on Transnistira is up for the devs to consider. But it should have a Moldovan core/Moldovan ASSR core for accurate 1945 borders reasons.
5. If Ukraine and Belarus are added as countries with special status in the game, add Moldovan ASSR in the game -> The Moldovan ASSR founded in 1924 including Transnistria. After USSR took Bessarabia in 1940, Transnistria became part of the Moldovan SSR together with landlocked Bessarabia. Actually, Bessarabia was incorporated into Moldovan ASSR renamed Moldovan SSR and the capital was moved to Chisinau. It did not include Northern Bukovina, Hotin and Southern Bessarabia who were transferred to Ukrainian SSR. You can see from the map above, the part of Transnistira that became part of Moldova on the map above in the east. If Ukraine and Belarus are included in Barbarossa, it would be nice if Moldovan ASSR would be included too, as it had the same status as Ukraine and Belarus in spite of its size.
Moldovan ASSR and the country of Moldova already existing in the game, could effectively be the same country, an independent Moldova when democratic and a Moldovan ASSR/SSR when communist.
6. If Ukraine, Belarus and Moldovan ASSR are added, after Romania gives up Bessarbia, add USSR decisions, give Cernauti and Southern Bessarabia to Ukraine or to Moldovan ASSR -> In real life, Stalin gave it to Ukraine not to make the Moldovans too strong. But in an alternative timeline, the player could give them to Moldovan ASSR instead. This would have the benefit of Moldovan ASSR gaining cores on Cernauti and Southern Bessarabia, since the population there was mostly Romanian/Moldovan.
7. If USSR manages to conquer in-Romania Moldova state as well, it can get a decision to also make it a core of Moldovan ASSR, if Bessarabia is also a core -> If Bessarabia was also a core to avoid border gore. And the reasoning for the core is also because the Moldovan ASSR had the propaganda narrative that the Moldovans are different from Romanians. And hte people in the in-Romania Moldova state were Moldovans. So the Soviet propaganda could work with the in-Romania Moldova state, and maybe a good old fashoned Stalin show of force, but it would not work/make sense with the rest of Romania, because there's no way to justify that the Romanians from Wallachia or Transylvania are also Moldovans, no matter how stretched your propaganda is.
Map for better illustration: I suggest moving the region border between Northern Bukovina an Bessarabia (from blue left, as in in the game, to blue right) so that the Hotin provice will be part of Northern Bukovina. It's not realistic while within part of Greater Romania, but it is realistic after the 1945 borders, so that proper Moldavian ASSR can be formed (the red long line, poorly drawn, right next to Romania, is supposed to be Transnistria, that was the original Moldovan ASSR since 1924). The rest are just border suggestion from another topic.
The blue lines are 2 different choices with pros and cons each.
- With the choice from the left you can form historical Austria-Hungary but can't form 1945 Moldova.
- With the choice from the right you can form historical 1945 Moldova but can't form proper Austria-Hungary and Hotin wasn't part of Bukovina while in Greater Romania.
- There is also a 3rd option, to make Hotin a completely new provice, but I believe that's an overcomplication.
As for the rest of the map, from left to right:
- Hungary will be split by rivers.
- South Bukovina will also exist so that Austria-Hungary can form its old borders. I did my best but my red line isn't exactly right.
- Transnistira has correct borders.
- The long border between Romania and USSR is the part of Transnitria that was given to Moldova in 1945, it should be a Moldovan core, the red line isn't exactly right.
- And I made all the Soviet Borders on the Dnieper river.
8. The Soviet Union should get a claim on Southern Bessarabia as well after Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact -> This doesn't change the game in any significant way, but having USSR claiming Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia but not Southern Bessarabia (state ID: 766) breaks immersion a bit.
9. There should be no Moldovan State possible in Bessarabia or Southern Bessarabia before USSR captures Bessarabia -> Similar to the impossibility of splitting Czechoslovakia into Czech Republic and Slovakia before Germany invades. Before World War II, there was no idea of Bessarabian separation from Romania, it was not even like Slovaks and Czechs where the Slovaks acknowledge they are different people, the people of Bessarabia considered themselves as Romanian as the rest of them. This was unlike Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia and more like Italy except the language different wasn't that big.
It was only after USSR's conquest that things started to fall apart: The official stance of the Soviet Union's government was that Moldovan culture and nationality are distinct from Romanian, the Latin alphabet was replaced with the Cyrillic alphabet and the language was renamed Moldovan, the access of native Bessarabians to positions in administration and economy was limited as they were considered untrustworthy, the authors that promoted a Romanian national sentiment were banned, ethnic cleansing by mass deporting native Bessarabians in Siberia started and Gagauz, Russians and Ukrainians were brought in. It took years and a lot of forced propaganda before the idea of Moldovans (from Bessarabia) being separated from Romanians took roots.
In summary, what I suggest to make the region of Bessarbia + Transnistria historically accurate is the following:
1. Remove the Ukrainian core on Southern Bessarabia. (only 18% population)
2. Attach the Hotin province (the uppermost province of Bessarabia) to Northern Bukovina. (make 1945 borders possible)
3. Rename the Northern Bukovina to Cernauti (with Hotin attached to it, it's no longer just Northern Bukovina so it would be wrong to call it as such)
4. Add one more state region in USSR called Transnistira. (it existed in real life as Moldovan ASSR and would become part of 1945 Moldovan SSR)
5. When Romania demands Transnistira (the Romanian Occupied during 1941-1944 one) it gains claims on states 192 and 198 and the newly created region Transnistira (just like in real life)
6. If Ukraine & Belarus get special status, Moldovan ASSR in Transnistria should get special status as well (it had the same status as Ukraine and Belarus)
7. If Moldovan ASSR is added, after Romania gives up Bessarabia, USSR could get an decision: either giving Cernauti and Southern Bessarabia to Ukraine or to Moldovan ASSR. If it's given to Moldovan ASSR, the Moldovan ASSR gains cores on them. (They were Romanians/Moldovans)
8. If USSR manages to conquer in-Romania Moldova state as well, it can get a decision to also make it a core of Moldovan ASSR, if Bessarabia is also a core.
9. USSR should claim Southern Bessarabia after Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.
10. There should be no Moldovan country core in 1936 or 1939 as (there was no desire for separation)
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