On August 23, Europe marks the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism. It commemorates the day when the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, when Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany divided Eastern Europe between them 71 years ago. Doctor of Historical Sciences Mariana S. Taranu told Info-Prim Neo that a direct consequence of the Pact for the current territory of Moldova was the annexation of Bessarabia on June 28, 1940. August 23 became again tragic in 1944, when Bessarabia returned under the Soviet sphere of influence, Mariana S. Taranu said. August 23 was designated as the European commemoration day in memory of the victims of the totalitarian ideologies of Stalinism and National Sociologism by the European Parliament on April 2, 2009. The objective of the day of remembrance is to preserve the memory of the victims of mass deportations and exterminations, and at the same time, to root democracy more firmly and reinforce peace and stability in Europe. “The signing of the nonaggression pact between Germany and the USSR signed on August 23, 1939 came as a shock for the world democracies. It was in fact a pact between the two dictators of the period - Hitler and Stalin,” historian Mariana S. Tranu said. “Under the agreement, the two regimes could consult each other in case of dissension and avoid military force. It was accompanied by a secret additional protocol that delimited the spheres of interest in Eastern Europe. Shortly afterward, Poland was divided between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Finland lost 10% of its territory, while Eastern and Northern Romania and three Baltic countries were annexed by the Soviet Union.” The historian said that the day of August 23, 1944 for the Romanian territories located eastward the Prut means the start of the second Soviet occupation. “The great losses sustained in war in the summer of 1944 and the worsening of the situation in Romania made the Romanian pro-communist Opposition forces to unite. On August 23, 1944 Ion Antonescu was arrested by order of King Mihai the First. Thus, Romania joined the United Nations coalition in the fight against the German troops,” Mariana S. Taranu said. She also said that the reoccupation of the territories located at the East of the Prut by the USSR in August 1944 brought about political, social, economic, institutional and cultural changes. The Bolshevik and Soviet bodies took over, being under the protection of the Red Army. The confiscation and nationalization of the private property was resumed. There were created Soviet-type production units. Among other consequences were the organized famine, deportations and destruction of the intellectuality.