Nicolae Titulescu – Leader of the Romanian and European diplomacy
For the Romanian society, the year 2022 is dedicated also to the 140-year anniversary since the birth of Nicolae Titulescu, a great personality of the Romanian and European inter-war diplomacy. Nicolae Titulescu was a remarkable politician, who had an essential role in a series of important decisions for Romania, legal adviser and teacher, member of the Romanian Academy, great speaker, with an exceptional talent of anticipating historical events and debating ideas, which, in years, would prove to be of great accuracy and relevance. Titulescu’s entire diplomatic career as one of the most brilliant personalities of international politics at the time has also enjoyed international admiration and appreciation. His original ideas, such as the economic and political cooperation of nations through agreements, good neighborliness between large and small states, solidarity against acts of aggression, the preservation of borders established by peace treaties, respect for the sovereignty and equality of all states in international relations, contributed to the outline of his personality as a diplomat, considered by many historians as one of the most important figures of the interwar period.
Titulescu was, for over a decade and a half, the only Romanian delegate to the League of Nations, the only personality elected two times in a row, in 1930 and 1931, as President of the General Assembly High Forum in Geneva, while being the architect of the international relations resettlement system based on cooperation and of the peaceful settlement of disputes within the institutional framework created by the League of Nations.
Plenipotentiary Minister in London on two occasions (1922-1927, 1928-1932), Titulescu was Romania`s Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1927-1928 and 1932-1936, and was among the most earnest promoters of border stability, resulting from The Paris Peace Conference and the Treaty of Versailles, advocating for the preservation of cordial relations between states, regardless of the territorial extent and military force, promoting the respect for the sovereignty and equality of nations in the international community by opting for a collective security system designed to prevent the use of force in the resolution of litigations between the parties.
Receiving a Bachelor in law degree in Paris and being a Professor of Civil Law at the University of Iasi and then at the University of Bucharest, Nicolae Titulescu started his diplomatic activity as a member of the National Assembly for the Unity of Romanians, founded in Paris in 1918, where Romanian emigration was supporting the country’s interests in front of the Entente former allies, after the Treaty of Versailles, which was the foundation of the new European configuration since WWI. He was a Member of the Romanian Academy, receiving an honorary degree from the universities of Athens and Bratislava, also being president of the International Diplomatic Academy.
Nicolae Titulescu signed The Treaty of Trianon for the Romanian side on June 4th 1920, a document that was the legal attestation of the Union of Transylvania and Romania. As the Minister of Finance (1920–1922), Titulescu added his contribution to the stabilization and development of the post-war Romanian economy and to the balanced resolution of the financial aspects of the agrarian reform.
Titulescu’s diplomatic activity focused on the strengthening of the international collaboration for the European peace and security interests. Thus, in London, in 1933, on behalf of the Romanian government, Titulescu signed The Convention for the Definition of Aggression and made remarkable efforts to conclude The Little Entente Treaties in 1933 and The Balkan Entente Treaties in 1934.
Basarabia’s status and the Romanian Treasure held in Moscow were also part of his negotiation agenda. He had the same successful determination in the matter of the great Hungarian owners claiming lands in Transylvania, which was inside the Romanian borders after The Treaty of Trianon.
The speech delivered by Titulescu when he received an honorary degree from The University of Athens, on October 21st 1933, remains a powerful motivation as to why nations consent to peace: “There is, however, a field in which feelings can be the priceless allies of reason: this field is that of mutual understanding among people, the only source of a lasting and fruitful peace. Man cannot be a stranger to other men simply because a border is raised between them. Peace is nothing but the consciousness of the human species’ universality”. (George G. Potra, Constantin I. Turcu in “Magazin istoric”, year XVI, no. 2, 1982).
After being removed by Carol II in August 1936, Titulescu retires to Switzerland, then to Cannes, France, where, after a long suffering, he dies on March 17th, 1941. Away from his country, he continues to promote the idea of peacekeeping, holding conferences at The Diplomatic Academy in Paris, at The House of Commons, at Oxford and Cambridge universities etc. He was also elected honorary president of The Romanian Committee of the Universal Peace Reunion.
Thus, Jacques Freymond, honorary president of the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, noted referring to Titulescu: “He naturally imposed his presence by being a great speaker with a charming conversation and a subtle intelligence. But no matter how great his talents were, he would have never been a first rank personality who, at that time, strived to rule Europe and that part of the world over which our continent exercised its influence, if he had not had the qualities of a statesman and had not been endowed with a vision of what was supposed to be a forward-looking policy. In Geneva, Titulescu was the promoter of a peace policy based on the respect of the commitments made by the signatory states of the Pact”.
By: Prof. Adrian Năstase, president of the Titulescu European Foundation
