This books deals with the grave, some times insurmountable, difficulties encountered by the Romanian state in the period from 1939-1941. Occupying a strategic position and rich in economic resources, Romania was caught between the ambitions of the German Reich and the Soviet Union. An agreement reached between these two powers in 1939 caused Romania to lose territories to her neighbors in the east, west and south; their disagreement a year later, together with the German promise of recovering such lost territories in the east and west compelled Romania to join the Axis powers in their military campaign conducted in 1941 against the Soviet Union.