The Romanians' Great War: 1916 and the Price of Alliance

In August 1916, Romania entered World War I on the side of the Entente, hoping to fulfill the dream of national unity by annexing Transylvania from Austria-Hungary. But within months, a combined German, Austro-Hungarian, and Bulgarian offensive crushed the Romanian army, occupied Bucharest, and forced the government and royal family to flee to Iași. This episode tells the story of that disastrous campaign: the miscalculations of King Ferdinand and Prime Minister Ion I. C. Brătianu, the fierce but futile battles at Turtucaia and the Carpathian passes, the Russian betrayal that left Romania isolated, and the terrible human cost — hundreds of thousands dead from combat, disease, and famine during the brutal winter of 1916–1917. It also explores how the Romanian army, under General Alexandru Averescu, regrouped and won a stunning victory at Mărăști in July 1917, only to have Russia's Bolshevik Revolution force Romania into a separate peace. The episode ends with reflections on how this 'Great War' shaped Romania's national identity and its territorial claims at the Paris Peace Conference. Lucas and Luna discuss the strategic blunders, the heroism of ordinary soldiers, and the legacy of a campaign that nearly destroyed the nation but ultimately paved the way for the Great Union of 1918.

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