This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Constantzeanu (talk | contribs) at 00:22, 25 April 2006 (what in the world is this communist Stalinist garbidge?). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 00:22, 25 April 2006 by Constantzeanu (talk | contribs) (what in the world is this communist Stalinist garbidge?)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see Moldovans (disambiguation).Moldovans are an ethnic group that lives mainly in the Republic of Moldova, where they comprise 76.1% of the population, and in Ukraine, where they constitute a recognized ethnic minority of 0.53 % (7.28 % in Chernivtsi Oblast and 5.01 % in Odessa Oblast). In Romania, however, despite of the country's geographic proximity to Moldova, the 2002 census has revealed that no ethnic Moldovans reside in the state.
The Moldovans of Romania and Moldova were considered ethnic Romanians until the Soviet occupation of Bessarabia in the 1940s, which led to the formation of the Moldovan SSR. A series of Soviet propaganda campaigns attempted to erase links between Moldova and Romania in order to dissuade any ideas of re-unification of the two states, including an emphasized 'distinct' "Moldovan language", history, culture etc. Most Romanians, as well as a large part of the Moldovan populace, claim that external interference led to Moldova's increasingly separate identity rather than any actual differences.
Certain Moldovans, due to life under the Soviet Union and other factors, have pressed for recognition of an ethnic Moldovan identity, separate to that of Romania. Nevertheless, in the 2004 Moldovan Census, about 40% of the population of Moldova (55% of all Moldovans and Romanians in Moldova) reported Romanian as a native tongue, rather than Moldovan. Some differences include religious affiliation, as under the Soviet regime the Orthodox Church of Bessarabia was transferred from the Romanian Orthodox Church to the Russian Orthodox Church. However, immediately after Moldova broke off the USSR, the Romanian Orthodox Church reorganized the Moldovan Metropolitan Church under its authority, forming the autonomous Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia (Romanian/Moldovan: "Mitropolia Basarabiei"). Moldovans are now split between Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia and the Metropolitan Church of Chisinau and the Whole Moldova which depends on the Russian Patriarchate.
References
- 2004 census results in Moldova
- , , , 2001 census results in Ukraine
- it has been stated by critics of the Census that in the 2004 Moldovan Census and others, many who declared Moldovan rather than Romanian as their ethnicity may have done so due to a misunderstanding of the question asked, and/or due to social pressure or direct pressure from enumerators.
- 2002 census results in Romania