ASPECTE GEOPOLITICE ALE PIERDERILOR TERITORIALE SUFERITE DE ROMÂNIA ÎN VARA ANULUI 1940

The Romanian territorial losses from summer 1940 represented the worst period from the history of the country. That situation was caused by the international context, especially by the German and URSS expansion tendency. The two countries signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (23 august 1944) and divided into occupation zones the territory between Black and Baltic Sea. According to the German-Soviet agreement from June 28, 1940, the URSS annexed Bessarabia and the northern part of the Bukovina. So, they came closer to Prahova Valley which was a very important source of petroleum for Germany. The annexation of the two Romanian territories made Hitler to impose upon Romania the Vienna Award (from August 30, 1940) and rapidly to prepare and apply the Barbarossa Operation.