Bucharest, and changed the name from United Principalities to
Romania. Domestic reforms were also undertaken, among which were the
emancipation of the serfs in 1864, the institution of a broad land
distribution program, the introduction of free and compulsory education,
and the adoption of the French civil and penal codes as the basis for a
revised legal system. Political parties on the Western pattern began to
take form as well, the conservatives representing the large landowners
and the liberals representing the new urban class.

The reforms instituted by Cuza were bold and progressive, but his
methods proved to be harsh and unpopular. Forced to abdicate in 1866, he
was succeeded by a German prince, Charles of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
Charles, who reigned from 1866 to 1914, extended the reforms initiated
by Cuza. He gave the country its first formal constitution modeled after
that of the Belgians, built the country's first railroad, and modernized
and enlarged the small army. In 1878 the country's full independence was
recognized by the Treaty of Berlin, which ended the two-year
Russo-Turkish war in which Romania participated as an ally of Russia.
The Kingdom of Romania was proclaimed formally in 1881 with the crowning
of Prince Charles in Bucharest as Carol I.

The period from 1878 to 1918 brought significant advances in Romania,
largely in the economic and political fields. Under the initiative of
King Carol I and with considerable backing from German capital, new
industries were started, and others were expanded; railroad and port
construction was emphasized; and the considerable petroleum resources of
the country were developed and exploited. The goals of political parties
and leaders became more clearly defined, and modern government
institutions, including a bicameral parliament, were organized.

Economic and formal political progress, however, was not matched by
similar advancement of democratic processes in the social field. The
liberal provisions of the 1866 Constitution were circumvented under the
authoritarian governmental system, leaving much actual power in the
hands of the landed aristocracy. The slowly rising middle class and
small number of industrial entrepreneurs were granted some rights, but
the increasing number of industrial workers and the great peasant
majority shared very little in the political life of the country.

A major peasant revolt in 1907 attempted unsuccessfully to rectify the
se