Nation-Building and Contested Identities: Romanian & Hungarian ...

“The California of the Romanians”which combined attempts at sheltered industrialization with a campaign fornational consolidation. Built on restraining citizenship legislation, thismechanism facilitated the integration of Northern Dobrogea into Romaniaat the following levels: 1) the colonization of Dobrogea with ethnic Romanians;2) the nationalization of the landed property in the province; 3) thecultural homogenization of the Dobrogeans; 4) the implementation ofa highly centralized political regime, which promoted the interests of theBucharest-based political elites and weakened regional political resistance;and 5) the exclusion of Dobrogea’s non-Romanian economic elites frompolitical rights.In order to implement this developmental strategy, the rulingNational Liberal Party (1876-1888) designed a so-called “exceptionaladministrative regime” for the province, which occurred in three mainstages: a) “the regulatory period” (1878-1880), when the province wasruled by ad-hoc regulations issued by the government; b) a second period,(1880-1909), when the province was administered on the basis of a separatelaw issued by the parliament; and c) a third phase, (1909-1913), whenDobrogea’s administrative and political organization was gradually harmonizedwith that of Romania. The following section explores the assimilationstrategies employed by the Romanian political elite in Dobrogea at the levelof administration, citizenship and property legislation.2.2 FROM SYMBOLIC INCLUSION TO ADMINISTRATIVE EXCLUSION:CITIZENSHIP LEGISLATION IN NORTHERN DOBROGEAOn 14 November 1878, in a proclamation issued in Romanian, Bulgarian,and Turkish, Prince Carol I guaranteed the Dobrogeans that: “You nowbelong to a state governed only by laws debated and approved by thenation. Your life, your honor and your prosperity – the saint and mostcherished goods of the mankind – are under the protection of the Constitution.”32 In spite of these royal assurances, the organization of Dobrogeawas in fact characterized by a peculiar dialectics of symbolic inclusion andadministrative exclusion.“The Law Concerning Dobrogea’s Administrative Organization,”adopted by the Romanian Parliament in March 1880, had as its primaryaim the assimilation of Dobrogea to Romania. 33 Article 3 of that law readthat: “All the inhabitants of Dobrogea, who, on 11 April 1877 wereOttoman citizens, have become Romanian citizens.” 34 Article 5 stipulatedthat: “The inhabitants of Dobrogea who have become Romanian citizensare equal before the law, enjoy all the civic rights, and can be appointed inpublic functions, regardless of their origin or religion,” while Article 6extended to the inhabitants of Dobrogea numerous civil rights provided129