MOLDOVA

officially Republic of Moldova, Moldovan Republica Moldova, formerly (194091) Moldavia, or Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic country in the northeastern Balkans. It is surrounded by Ukraine on the north, east, and south and is bordered on the west by the Prut River, which it shares with Romania. The capital is Chisinau (Kishinyov). Area 13,000 square miles (33,700 square km). Pop. (1996 est.) 4,372,000. officially Republic of Moldova, Moldovan Republica Moldova, formerly (194041) Moldavia, or Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic country lying in the northeastern corner of the Balkan region. It is bordered by Ukraine on the north, east, and south and Romania on the west, the Prut River forming the western boundary. Moldova occupies an area of about 13,000 square miles (33,700 square kilometres). The capital is at Chisinau. The greater part of the republic lies between the great, meandering Prut and Dniester rivers as they flow to their Black Sea estuaries. Formerly known as Bessarabia, this region was an integral part of the Romanian principality of Moldavia until 1812, when it was ceded to Russia by its suzerain, the Ottoman Empire. Bessarabia remained a province of the Russian Empire until after World War I, when it became a part of Greater Romania, and it reverted to Russian control after World War II, when it was joined to a strip of formerly Ukrainian territory on the left bank of the Dniester to form the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. Upon the collapse of the U.S.S.R. in August 1991, this republic declared its independence and took the name Moldova. Additional reading Geography English-language sources on the geography of Moldova are scarce. General works include Fyodor Angeli and Georgi Stoylik, Moldavia, trans. from Russian (1982); and M. Shukhat, Moldavia, trans. from Russian (1986), two well-illustrated descriptive guides. The restructuring of the population of Moldova in the second half of the 20th century is discussed in Irina Livezeanu, Urbanisation in a Low Key and Linguistic Change in Soviet Moldavia, Soviet Studies, 33(3):327351 and 33(4):573589 (1981). A study of a local elite and its influence on national and cultural identity during the Soviet period is presented in Ronald J. Hill, Soviet Political Elites: The Case of Tiraspol (1977). A detailed and informative discussion of the realities and practices of ethnic relations is found in Michael Bruchis, One Step Back, Two Steps Forward: On the Language Policy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in the National Republics: Moldavian, a Look Back, a Survey, and Perspectives, 19241980 (1982). Wim P. Van Meurs, The Bessarabian Question in Communist Historiography (1994), comprehensively investigates the intertwining of ethnicity, politics, and culture. History An outline of the early history of the Dacian people in present-day Moldova and Romania is found in G. Bichir, The Archaeology and History of the Carpi from the Second to the Fourth Century AD, 2 vol. (1976; originally published in Romanian, 1973). For the Middle Ages, see Victor Spinei, Moldavia in the 11th14th Centuries (1986; originally published in Romanian, 1982). The incorporation of the territory into the Russian Empire is described in George F. Jewsbury, The Russian Annexation of Bessarabia, 17741828 (1976). Charles Upson Clark, Bessarabia: Russia and Roumania on the Black Sea (1927), focuses on the period of World War I. Nicholas Dima, From Moldavia to Moldova: The Soviet-Romanian Territorial Dispute, updated ed. (1991), analyzes, among other historical topics, the history of the ethnic character of the region and its socioeconomic development during the Soviet period. Keith Arnold Hitchins Administration and social conditions Government A new constitution, which replaced the 1978 document that had provided for a Soviet-style government structure, was approved by the Moldovan parliament in July 1994 and promulgated on August 27. Describing the republic as a sovereign, independent state in which justice and political pluralism are guaranteed, this constitution formally established a unicameral parliament comprising 104 members who are directly elected for four-year terms. The president, who is directly elected for a five-year term, serves as the head of state and the commander in chief of the armed forces. The president shares executive power with the Council of Ministers (cabinet), which is led by the prime minister, who is designated by the president (after consultation with the parliamentary majority) and approved by parliament. The council is responsible for implementing the domestic and foreign policy of the state. Moldova is administered locally by elected town and village councils and mayors; their activities are coordinated by district councils, which also are elected. The constitution guarantees all citizens the right to preserve, develop and express their ethnic, cultural, and linguistic and religious identity and grants special autonomy to the predominantly Russian region on the left bank of the Dniester and to the Gagauz region. The judicial system comprises the Supreme Court of Justice (with members appointed by parliament), a Court of Appeal, and lower courts (whose members are appointed by the president). The Higher Magistrates' Council nominates judges and oversees their transfer and promotion. The Communist Party of Moldaviauntil 1990 the only legal partywas dissolved in 1991. Since independence a variety of political parties have emerged, most of them based on ethnicity (including the Gagauz People's Party) and advocacy of independence or unification with either Romania or Russia. (A national referendum on Moldova's status as an independent country was held on March 6, 1994, with a large turnout of eligible voters. More than 95 percent voted in favour of continued independence.) Most prominent among these parties is the Agrarian Democratic Party, which favours independence and limited participation in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Education Significant changes occurred in Moldovan society during the years of Soviet power. Illiteracy was eradicated, and, as in other union republics, emphasis was placed on technical education in order to satisfy the steadily growing needs of agriculture and industry for specialists and a highly skilled workforce. Before 1940 the republic had only one institution of higher education, a teacher-training college. Since then, several institutions of higher education (including the University of Chisinau) and numerous specialized middle schools have been established. At the highest level, the Moldova Academy of Sciences, established in Chisinau in 1961, coordinates the activities of some 16 scientific institutions. An additional 50 or so research centres in the fields of viticulture, horticulture, beet growing, grain cultivation, and wine making have been set up, and Moldovan scientists have won international acclaim in these fields. Cultural life The historical ties between Bessarabia and Romania and the ethnic kinship of Moldovans and Romanians are still reflected in the culture of Moldova. The development of Moldovan culture after World War II, however, followed the prevailing pattern of the Soviet Union as a whole. The state assumed responsibility for the content and direction of all cultural and intellectual life. The theatre, motion pictures, television, and printed matter were subject to censorship and close ideological scrutiny. Until the waning days of Soviet influence, private initiative in cultural endeavours was rare. Moldovan literature experienced the vicissitudes of Soviet literature generally during the Zhdanov era of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Building socialism and creating the new Soviet citizen were the dominant themes, and socialist goals prevailed over aesthetic considerations. Characteristic of these trends were the early prose and poetry of Emilian Bucov and Andrei Lupan, who followed the principles of Socialist Realism; later they and younger writers diversified their techniques and subject matter. Perhaps the most outstanding modern writer is the dramatist and novelist Ion Druta. His novel Balade de cmpie (1963; Ballads of the Steppes), an investigation of the psychology of the village, marked a significant turning point in the evolution of Moldovan fiction; and his play Casa Mare (1962; The Parlour) turned away from the concept of collectivity to probe the individual conscience. The state gave particular attention to the expansion of cultural opportunities for the general population. Numerous amateur theatres and musical and art groups were supported. The state also attempted to preserve the rich heritage of Moldovan folk art and music through such ensembles as the Doina choir and Zhok popular ballet and through local and national museums. Economic changes and urbanization, however, undermined traditional society and curtailed artistic creativity. Fyodor Nikolayevich Sukhopara Keith Arnold Hitchins