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?