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

CONSTANTIN IORDACHIpopulation). Together with the administrative centers of Tulcea and Constanþa(22,262 and respectively 31,576 inhabitants), there were 6 othertowns over 5,000 inhabitants. Favored by the new political order, Romaniansmonopolized the state administration and increased their urban residencein the province. In 1909, urban Romanians acquired majority inseven cities, representing 98% in Cuzgun, 92% in Ostrov, 66% in Mãcin,68% in Cernavodã, 61% in Hîrºova, 51% in Isaccea, and 50.6% in Mahmudia.In the other six cities, Romanians held a relative majority, witha proportion of 37% of the population in Medgidia, 34% in Constanþa,33% in Babadag, 28% in Mangalia, 27% in Chilia, and 26.8% in Tulcea.The Romanian urban element was in the minority only in Sulina, witha ratio of 17% of the population. 73 The rising Romanian urban bourgeoisiesucceeded also in nationalizing the commercial activity in theprovince, while the economic role of former “Oriental” urban elitesdecreased systematically. Thus, if in 1878 “the few Romanian merchantsin Dobrogea could be counted on the fingers of a single hand,” in 1909,from 7,664 registered Dobrogean merchants, there were 4,815 Romaniansand 2,849 “foreigners” (Greeks, Jews and Armenians). 74 The symbol ofDobrogea’s urban modernization was the development of Constanþa thatthrived from 5,000 inhabitants in 1878, to 12,725 in 1900, and to a moderncity of 31,000 in 1912. These successes were praised by the Romanianelites, who used economic progress as a legitimizing factor for Romanianrule. In 1903, 25 years after Dobrogea’s annexation, M. D. Ionescuassessed enthusiastically that “in the economic domain Dobrogea hasadvanced with giant steps.” 75 Based on statistical comparisons betweenDobrogea, other parts of Romania and different European countries,Ionescu documented Dobrogea’s miraculous transformation, from a “pileof ruins” into a prosperous province.3.3 CENTRALIZATION VERSUS REGIONALISM: STRATEGIES OF POLITICALEMANCIPATION EMPLOYED BY NORTHERN DOBROGEANSA central component of the exceptional administrative regime in Dobrogeawas the local administration. The province labored under a heavilycentralized bureaucratic apparatus, which escaped the control of locallyelected institutions, but was tightly controlled from Bucharest. Accordingto the 1880 law, mayors in Dobrogea were not elected, but appointed bythe prefect in villages, and by the Ministry of Interior in cities. Furthermore,unlike in Romania proper, where members of the communal councilswere elected on a larger electoral basis, in Dobrogea local councilorswere partly named by the prefect, while only some were elected by localinhabitants, in a restrictive franchise. Finally, local administrators had140