A Pendulum between East and West: German–Romanian Relations from the Perspective of the German Foreign Office, 1922-1938
A Pendulum between East and West: German–Romanian Relations from the Perspective of the German Foreign Office, 1922-1938

Summary/Abstract: The article reconstructs German–Romanian relations, 1922-1938, from the internal perspective of the German Foreign Office, using the ADAP (Akten zur deutschen auswartigen Politik – Documents on German Foreign Policy). It conceptualises Romania as a “pendulum state”: formally embedded in the French-led security order yet deliberately flexible under economic strain and regional insecurity. The analysis traces three phases. 1922-1929: security observation and diplomatic distance, as Berlin avoided confrontation after Rapallo and the occupation of the Ruhr while probing weaknesses in the Little Entente and settling war-related financial issues. 1930-1935: economic instruments as strategic influence, with provisional trade accords, clearing arrangements, credits tied to oil and grain, and patience towards Paris; Romania’s dependence grew while formal alignments persisted. 1936–1938: strategic rapprochement and political caution, amid the Locarno crisis, Titulescu’s dismissal, competing German channels, and offers linking armaments to oil. Throughout, policy aimed not at open revision but at the gradual loosening of French steering through bilateral ties and calculated interdependence. The conclusion is “rapprochement without alliance”: influence conceived as a process, privileging economic, diplomatic and security coupling over treaties. The study does not include Romanian or French records; it reconstructs how German diplomats perceived Romania’s manoeuvring and converted time into strategic capital, laying the foundations for deeper influence after the Munich Agreement and gradual consolidation without predetermining the path to war.

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