The independence of the Republic of Moldova was achieved due to Moscow's becoming aware that the situation in the USSR was going from bad to worse. The statement belongs to historian Veaceslav Stavila, who told IPN that the independence of the Republic of Moldova included several USSR demographic and economic factors.
"From 1945 to 1991, the Soviet system required that the leadership in all Soviet territories be provided by persons of Russian ethnic origin. In Chisinau there was the position of Central Committee Secretary, who was native, but in fact, the key position was held by Secretary 2, who was Russian,” Veaceslav Stavila said.
According to the historian, the Russians noticed that in most republics the demographic growth of the indigenous was higher than that of the Russians and there was a risk that Slavic elements would disappear. "The demographic degradation of the Russians throughout the USSR increased during 1985-1990. In order to prevent it from getting significantly worse, the Russians decided to give greater freedom to Soviet Union republics, including the Republic of Moldova – through the so-called perestroika of Mihail Gorbachev, " said Veaceslav Stavila.
From the economic point of view, by 1990, the USSR was a disaster. "It was a system in which people capable of work were not interested in working. People went to work but had no interest in working more as this did not lead to any salary raise. It was enough to show up for work and the salary was assured, thus production was low”, the historian said.
The USSR economy was based on the sale of oil, timber and gas, which provided for the products of strict necessity. In the 1980s, due a decrease in the price of oil Moscow reached an impasse where it could no longer hold on to all its territories, including the territory of the Republic of Moldova, Veaceslav Stavila mentioned.
In 1989, a circular letter was sent to the Ministers’Council of the Moldovan SSR, stating that Moscow had cut the financial support granted to Chisinau. “This kind of circular letters were received by all the Union republics, which, in fact, were told that they were on their own. Central authorities no longer had the capacity to support the entire USSR population,” Veaceslav Stavila stated.
According to the historian, all this led to the intensification of national movements in the Soviet republics, including the Republic of Moldova, which ultimately declared its independence.
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On August 27, 1991, 28 years ago, the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted the Declaration of Independence, a document signed by 278 deputies. This founding act is marked every year as Independence Day. The original Declaration burned during the 2009 protests in Chisinau, but was restored in 2010.