Manifestarea elementului naţional în zemstva basarabeană
The Manifestation of the National Factor in the Bessarabian Zemstvo

Summary/Abstract: From the very moment of the annexation of Bessarabia by the Russian Empire, a number of Moldovan boyars, not willing to accept the act of Old Moldova’s division, have combined forces to fight for the country’s best interests, for preserving the people’s language and its traditions. In the 60’s of the XIX-th Century, for example, there is a movement of young people, most having been brought up in Moldovan boyar families and who had dreams of a Great Romania. Brothers Cotruţă were the leaders of the young people’s movement, amongst its members also being the brothers Casso, Cazimir, etc. – all of whom will, later on, take active part in Bessarabia’s Zemstva. Amongst the personalities that the zemstva takes pride in and that have been determined in their pledge for preserving Romanian Moldovans national rights, the nobleman Pavel Dicescu is worth to mention, as one who has been particularly active in Zemstvas from the moment that they have been created, until around middle 80’s, also having been the president of the Orhei Zemstva Council. The list of the Bessarabia’s Zemstva’s counselors, that have, by all possible means, promoted national interests and values and that have contributed to solving a number of problems that the people of Bessarabia were struggling with, can be continued to include I.V.Cristi, the Baron A.F.Stuart etc. The idea of a Bessarabia united with Romania is another aspect – considerable enough that was of concern for some of the counselors of the Bessarabian Zemstva’s. The most active district zemstvas have been Soroca and Bălţi, as they have stated their desire in favor of a Integration with Romania in March 1918. The Integration itself has been first proclaimed by the Bălţi’s District Zemstva on March 3rd, and later on March 13, by the Soroca Zemstva. To conclude, we would like to affirm that the Bessarabian Zemstva, despite the difficulties that it had to confront along the way, and the flaws that it has encountered, has included a number of promoters of the nation’s interests and has opted, even though only by the end of its activity, for the restoration of the Romanian language and the locals’ other national rights.

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