Bessarabian Soviet Socialist Republic
Encyclopedia
The Bessarabian Soviet Socialist Republic or Bessarabian SSR was a government formed by Bolsheviks as part of their plans to establish control over Bessarabia
, which was united with Romania
in the course of events after the Russian Revolution of 1917
. The state with this name never came into existence.
The BeSSR was proclaimed on May 5, 1919 in Odessa
as a "Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government in exile" and established on May 11, 1919 in Tiraspol
as an autonomous part of Russian SFSR. Neither Odessa not Tiraspol were part of historical Bessarabia. The planned territories included Tiraspol uyezd
of Kherson Guberniya and Balta
and Olgopol uyezds of Podolia
guberniya. The self-proclaimed government of the Bessarabian SSR never managed to control any part of Bessarabia, which on 9 April 1918 united with Romania
. The union of Bessarabia with Romania was not recognized by Soviet authorities and the proclamation of the Bessarabian SSR was a political measure aimed at preparing a future invasion of Bessarabia by the Soviet Army.
This "government" had talks with the French military authorities over the military and political settlement but was disbanded in September 1919 after Denikin's army took control of the Odessa region.
The Western European powers recognised the union of Bessarabia and Romania by the Treaty of Paris (1920)
. However, the United States
refused to sign the Treaty on the grounds that Russia
was not represented at the Conference. This aided the Soviet Union
in its continued desire to retake Bessarabia
, which it succeeded in doing twenty years later.
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, which was united with Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
in the course of events after the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
. The state with this name never came into existence.
The BeSSR was proclaimed on May 5, 1919 in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
as a "Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government in exile" and established on May 11, 1919 in Tiraspol
Tiraspol
Tiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic . The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River...
as an autonomous part of Russian SFSR. Neither Odessa not Tiraspol were part of historical Bessarabia. The planned territories included Tiraspol uyezd
Uyezd
Uyezd or uezd was an administrative subdivision of Rus', Muscovy, Russian Empire, and the early Russian SFSR which was in use from the 13th century. Uyezds for most of the history in Russia were a secondary-level of administrative division...
of Kherson Guberniya and Balta
Balta, Ukraine
Balta is a small city in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Baltsky Raion , and located approximately 200 kilometers from the oblast capital, Odessa...
and Olgopol uyezds of Podolia
Podolia
The region of Podolia is an historical region in the west-central and south-west portions of present-day Ukraine, corresponding to Khmelnytskyi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast. Northern Transnistria, in Moldova, is also a part of Podolia...
guberniya. The self-proclaimed government of the Bessarabian SSR never managed to control any part of Bessarabia, which on 9 April 1918 united with Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. The union of Bessarabia with Romania was not recognized by Soviet authorities and the proclamation of the Bessarabian SSR was a political measure aimed at preparing a future invasion of Bessarabia by the Soviet Army.
This "government" had talks with the French military authorities over the military and political settlement but was disbanded in September 1919 after Denikin's army took control of the Odessa region.
The Western European powers recognised the union of Bessarabia and Romania by the Treaty of Paris (1920)
Treaty of Paris (1920)
The 1920 Treaty of Paris was an act signed by Romania and the principal Allied Powers of the time whose purpose was the recognition of Romanian sovereignty over Bessarabia...
. However, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
refused to sign the Treaty on the grounds that Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was not represented at the Conference. This aided the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in its continued desire to retake Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
, which it succeeded in doing twenty years later.