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The population exchange between Bulgaria and Romania was a population exchange carried out in 1940 after the transfer of Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria by Romania. It involved 103,711 Romanians, Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians living in Southern Dobruja and 62,278 Bulgarians from Northern Dobruja. After this operation, the application of a population exchange in other cases such as Transylvania was considered.

History

In 1913, the Kingdom of Romania conquered Southern Dobruja after the Bulgarian defeat in the Second Balkan War. The country had already acquired Northern Dobruja in 1878. This sparked revisionist feelings in Bulgaria. Following the occupation of the Romanian regions of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina by the Soviet Union in June 1940, Romania sought protection among the Axis powers, but it was demanded to first resolve its territorial disputes with its neighbors. Thus, on 30 August, Romania ceded Northern Transylvania to Hungary in the Second Vienna Award, while at the Treaty of Craiova of 7 September, Romania returned Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria.

Unlike Northern Transylvania, Southern Dobruja was seen as much less important by Romanian nationalists. Those ethnic Romanians who remained in Northern Transylvania were encouraged to remain there, and some nationalists promised to reconquer the region. On the other hand, in Southern Dobruja, the Romanian authorities insisted on carrying out a population exchange with Bulgaria. A total of 103,711 Romanians living in the region were transferred to Romania, while 62,278 Bulgarians native to Northern Dobruja were evacuated to Bulgaria. The Aromanian settlers, most of whom were native to Greece, were counted as Romanians and therefore left the zone as well. The same thing happened to the Megleno-Romanians from the region. These were settled in the village of Cerna, where they replaced the native Bulgarian population. The population exchange was carried out in compliance with the international laws of the time. Romania also proposed to exchange the rest of their respective minorities still residing outside Dobruja in the two countries, but Bulgaria did not approve this.

After the population exchange, in Romania, out of the 21,897 mostly peasant families that arrived, 11,678 were settled in Northern Dobruja, while the rest were settled in groups all over the country where land was available for them.

Aftermath

The population exchange, perceived by some Romanian government figures of the time as a success, gave the idea more popularity in Romania. In fact, some people like Sabin Manuilă planned to carry out another one between Hungary and Romania to solve the Transylvanian dispute, but this never happened.

See also

• Bulgaria–Romania relations
• Aromanians and Romanians in Bulgaria
• Bulgarians in Romania
• Population exchange between Greece and Turkey

References

1. Hitchins, Keith (2014). A concise history of Romania. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–327. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139033954. ISBN 9780521872386.
2. ^ Solonari, Vladimir (2007). "An important new document on the Romanian policy of ethnic cleansing during World War II". Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 21 (2): 268–297. doi:10.1093/hgs/dcm039.
3. Bolovan, Sorina; Bolovan, Ioan. "Inițiative românești privind problema schimbului de populație în primii ani ai celui de'al Doilea Război Mondial (1939–1941)" (PDF) (in Romanian). pp. 90–116.
4. ^ Deletant, Dennis (2006). Hitler's forgotten ally: Ion Antonescu and his regime, Romania 1940-1944. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1–376. ISBN 9781403993410.
5. Costea, Maria (2009). "Aplicarea tratatului româno-bulgar de la Craiova (1940)". Anuarul Institutului de Cercetări Socio-Umane "Gheorghe Șincai" al Academiei Române (in Romanian) (12): 267–275.
6. Țîrcomnicu, Emil (2014). "Historical aspects regarding the Megleno-Romanian groups in Greece, the FY Republic of Macedonia, Turkey and Romania" (PDF). Memoria Ethnologica. 14 (52–53): 12–29.
7. Achim, Viorel (2001). "The Romanian population exchange project elaborated by Sabin Manuilă in October 1941". Annali dell'Istituto Storico Italo-germanico in Trento. 27: 593–617.

v t e Aromanians
Names	Aromanians Vlachs Koutsovlachs Macedo-Romanians Macedonians Tsintsars
History	Origin of the Aromanians Vlach uprising of 1066 Great Vlachia Ottoman era Macedonian Struggle Ottoman Aromanians in Romanian foreign policy Romanian churches in the Balkans St. Sotir Church, Korçë Romanian schools in the Balkans Armatoles Chetas Ullah millet World War I Samarina Republic World War II Population exchange between Bulgaria and Romania Roman Legion (1941–1943) Principality of the Pindus Recommendation 1333 (1997)
Identity	Genetic studies on Aromanians Aromanian nationalism Aromanian studies Aromanian question Grecomans Flag of the Aromanians Aromanian National Day Dimãndarea pãrinteascã Political parties Alliance for Equality and European Justice Democratic Union of the Vlachs of Macedonia Party of the Vlachs of Macedonia
Culture	Aromanian cuisine Aromanian folk dance Aromanian language alphabet dialects Bible translations into Aromanian Influence on Slavic languages Linguistic parallels with Albanian Aromanian-language names Aromanian literature Aromanian Missal Codex Dimonie Aromanian mass media I'm Not Famous but I'm Aromanian Newspapers Românul de la Pind Radio stations Radio Romania International Aromanian music Aromanian Orthodox Church Aromanian traditional clothing Avdhela Project Celnic Subgroups of the Aromanians Organizations Lunjina Serbian–Aromanian Association Macedo-Romanian Cultural Society Panhellenic Federation of Cultural Associations of Vlachs Society Farsharotu Trâ Armânami Association of French Aromanians Union for Aromanian Language and Culture
Population	Geographical distribution Albania Bulgaria Greece North Macedonia Romania Serbia diaspora Settlements Avdella Bitola Constanța Gramos Kruševo Malovište Metsovo Moscopole Peshtera Samarina
People	Nicolae Constantin Batzaria Constantin Belimace Mihail G. Boiagi Toma Caragiu Matilda Caragiu Marioțeanu Alcibiades Diamandi Pitu Guli Gheorghe Hagi Simona Halep Manaki brothers Nicolaos Matussis Gheorghe Constantin Roja Nuși Tulliu Constantin Ucuta
Related groups	Romanians Moldovans Megleno-Romanians Istro-Romanians

v t e Great Union (Marea Unire)
Background	Ideology Romanian nationalism Romanian irredentism Greater Romania Events Unification of Moldavia and Wallachia Independence and annexation of Northern Dobruja Romanian annexation of Silistra Conquest of Southern Dobruja Treaty of Bucharest of 1916
Figures	Ferdinand I of Romania (King) Marie of Romania (Queen) Ion I. C. Brătianu (Prime Minister) Alexandru Averescu Iancu Flondor Pan Halippa Iuliu Maniu
Accomplishment	Romania in World War I First Romanian war plan 1916 Romanian Campaign Battle of Transylvania The Romanian Debacle Battle of Bucharest Central Powers occupation of Romania 1917 Romanian Campaign Battle of Mărăști Battle of Mărășești Third Battle of Oituz Romanian military intervention in Bessarabia Second Romanian campaign Hungarian–Romanian War Romanian occupation of Hungary Romanian occupation of Pokuttia Institutions and documents Sfatul Țării General Congress of Bukovina Great Romanian National Council Great National Assembly of Alba Iulia Declaration of Alba Iulia Directing Council Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye Treaty of Trianon Treaty of Paris (unenforced) Unifications Union with Bessarabia Union with Bukovina Union with Transylvania
Disestablishment	Soviet occupation of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and the Hertsa region Second Vienna Award Treaty of Craiova Population exchange between Bulgaria and Romania Recovery attempt of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina and Hertsa Transnistria Governorate Paris Peace Treaties, 1947 Moscow Protocol of 1948
Aftermath	Moldavian SSR Republic of Moldova Independence Transnistria Transnistria conflict Transnistria War Gagauz Republic Gagauzia conflict Unification with Romania Commemoration 1 Decembrie 1918 University, Alba Iulia National Museum of the Union Holidays Dobruja Day Day of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania Bukovina Day Great Union Day (Romanian national day) Trianon Treaty Day Centenary Centenary of the Great Union Anniversary Medal Centenary March 2018 unification declarations in Moldova and Romania

• History of Dobruja
• Bulgarians in Romania
• Romanians in Bulgaria
• Aromanians in Bulgaria
• Megleno-Romanians
• Romania in World War II
• Bulgaria in World War II
• 1940 in Bulgaria
• 1940 in Romania
• History of the Aromanians
• History of the Megleno-Romanians
• Forced migrations in Europe
• Ethnic cleansing in Europe
• Bulgaria–Romania relations