Transnistria, Moldova and
Ethnicity.The Politics of Identity
History• Bessarabia
• Annexed by the Russian Empire (1812)
• Moldovan Split• Western Bessarabia merged
with Romania (1918)• Soviet Union creates
Moldovan ASSR (1924)
History• Soviet Reoccupation
• Creation of the Moldovan SSR (1940)
• Reoccupied Romanian Moldova
• Moldovan Independence• Moldova declares itself
independent (1991)• Transnistria Independence?
• War in Transnistria (1992)
Cause for Separation• Identity
• Ethnic differences• Romanian/Moldovan• Slavic – Russian and
Ukrainian• Gagauz• Bulgarian
Cause for Separation• Transnistria
• Slavic Majority• Moldovan Minorities
Future• Status Quo
• Russia’s benefit?• Official Independence
• Moldova, European Union• Moldovan-Romanian Reunion• Transnistrian Republic• Transnistrian-Ukrainian Union
Sources• http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnistria#Early_modern_period• http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_status_of_Transnistria• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessarabia• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldova• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldavian_ASSR• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldavian_SSR
Questions?