The Birth and Growth of Romania’s Anti-fascist Resistance Movement

Situtated in South-eastern Europe, between 43°37′07″ and 48°15′06″ latitude North and 20°15′44″ and 29°21′24″ longitude East, Romania is crossed from north to east and then to the south-west by the Carpathian arc, which is clothed by hills descending in terraces covered by beech and oak forests, vineyards and orchards and fringed by big, fertile plains, highly suitable for grain culture. In the south, Romania is bordered by the Danube which links it to Central Europe; in the east by the Black Sea which opens the way towards the Near East and the Mediterranean. Having big oil deposits and mineral resources as well as cheap labour, Romania had always been the target of expansion by all the empires fighting for supremacy in this part of the continent. Besides, for Germany, Romania was particularly tempting as an important strategic position by which to dominate South-east Europe: the Nazis called Romania ‘the Gate to the East’.