Plural: History, Culture, Society (Nov 2018)
A Romanian Consul at the Margins of the Russian Empire: Gheorghe Forescu in Ismail (December 1916 – March 1918)
Abstract
The echoes of the events from the spring of 1917 were also felt in Bessarabia, a province annexed by Russia in 1812. Their evolution can be analyzed from multiple points of view, including from the perspective of an official representative of the Romanian state. On the basis of the reports sent by the Romanian consul in Ismail, I examine the political, social and military situation from Southern Bessarabia during a period with profound implications for the Russian Empire, in general, and this province, in particular. Gheorghe Forescu was appointed to Ismail, first as a temporary substitute, in November 1916, and then as consul, one month later. He remained in southern Bessarabia until March 1918, when the consular post was abolished as a result of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania. More often than not, Forescu had to confront and overcome certain difficult moments, having to take rapid and tough decisions. Most significantly, he formulated policy initiatives that were generally taken into account by the Romanian decision-makers. He held a position which could initially seem not very demanding and rather ordinary, but which proved to be a crucial point of observation in the context of the accelerating pace of events within the Russian Empire more generally and in Bessarabia, in particular.
