republic · Balkans and Hungary

Moldavian Democratic Republic

1917 CE – 1918 CE · capital Chișinău

Short-lived republic of Bessarabia proclaimed after the Russian Revolution, which voted for union with Romania in 1918.

Origins

After the fall of the Russian monarchy in 1917, Bessarabia's Romanian-speaking majority organised politically. A regional council, the Sfatul Țării, met in Chișinău and on 2 December 1917 proclaimed the Moldavian Democratic Republic as an autonomous member of a planned Russian federation, with Ion Inculeț as president.

Rule and society

The council, elected by soldiers' congresses, peasants and national groups, struggled to govern amid deserting soldiers, peasant land seizures and Bolshevik agitation. In January 1918 Romanian troops entered Bessarabia, invited by part of the leadership, and drove out Bolshevik units. The republic proclaimed full independence on 24 January 1918, and land reform was a central issue.

Decline and legacy

On 27 March 1918 the Sfatul Țării voted for union with the Kingdom of Romania, under Romanian military presence. Soviet Russia never recognised the union, and the Soviet Union annexed Bessarabia in 1940; much of it is now Moldova.

Lineage

Russian Empire 1721 CE – 1917 CEMoldavian Democratic RepublicKingdom of Romania 1881 CE – 1947 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Moldavian Democratic Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/moldavian-democratic-republic
MLA
“Moldavian Democratic Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/moldavian-democratic-republic. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Moldavian Democratic Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/moldavian-democratic-republic.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Moldavian Democratic Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/moldavian-democratic-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻