Women in Romania's First World War

In August 1916 the Kingdom of Romania (Wallachia and Moldova) entered World War One, which by 1918 brought about a union with Transylvania and Bessarabia. This book discusses the contribution of women to the achievement of the Romanian national project.
This analysis takes into account the role of bourgeoisie and middle-class women, the position of women in rural areas, and other forms of feminine involvement behind the front line. An emphasis is placed on the role of love, sex, and eroticism in times of war. Singular portraits of feminine personalities include Queen Mary, and the text discusses her involvement in the organization of campaign hospitals, her role in supplying the civil population with food and necessary goods, and her presence among the soldiers and in foreign propaganda in favor of Romanian causes. Another case is Ecaterina Teodoroiu, the only woman in Romania who served as an officer and died on the battlefield leading soldiers under her command.
Beyond women's contribution to the war, the book examines the effects of World War One on the history of the female gender in society. The leaders of the feminist movement expected that undergoing a 'training service' would entitle women to a life with full citizenship rights. Yet after the war, the situation returned to "normality;" women have largely continued to be excluded from the public sphere.