The union of Wallachia with Moldavia on January 24, 1859 is the founding act of modern Romania.

The
election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza on the throne of both Romanian states meant their Union into a new
state, initially known as the "United Principalities", which, from 1866, based on the new Constitution,
was called Romania.

The union was a goal of the Romanian elite during the Revolution of 1848, assumed by young politicians
as the most important political project in the mid-nineteenth century. The union of 1859 was possible
due to a contest of favorable premises, from the assumption of this political goal by young Romanian
politicians and its dissemination in Romanian society, to the favorable international context determined
by the Crimean War, the opposition of France and England to Russia's projects. to reach the mouths of
the Danube (and then Constantinople) and the favorable decisions of the peace conference. In Paris, it
was decided in 1858 to form a federation between Moldavia and Wallachia, with two princes, two
governments, two parliaments, etc.

Romanian politicians had the ability to develop this project into an effective Union of the two Romanian
principalities in one state. The first stage consisted in the election of a single prince, Alexandru Ioan Cuza,
on the throne of Moldova and Wallachia. Despite the protests of the Great Powers, Romanian politicians
took the unionist project to a rapid end: a single representation in Constantinople; a common army; with
a single leadership; interventions with foreign governments for the recognition of the Union, etc. The
decisive step was taken in January 1862, when a single government was formed in Bucharest. After this
moment, the pace of modernization of the new state accelerated, in parallel with the institutional
unification. The personality of Alexandru Ioan Cuza had an essential role in the perfection of the Union
and in the modernization of the new Romanian state. Cuza's role must be understood and associated
with that of the politicians of the time, Mihail Kogălniceanu, I. C. Brătianu, Costache Negri and many
others, each with his well-defined role in the new political construction.

Alexandru Ioan Cuza is one of the founding fathers of modern Romania, together with Mihail
Kogălniceanu and Carol I

Against the background of the adversity of Romanian politicians towards Cuza's authoritarian ambitions,
which are part of the Romanian political tradition and which eventually led to the abdication of the
prince and the accession of Carol I, the role of Alexandru Ioan Cuza has long been minimized.
Rediscovered by the historian A. D. Xenopol at the end of the 19th century, Alexandru Ioan Cuza enjoyed
a certain notoriety during the communist period, due to the minimization of the role of the monarchy in
the modernization of Romania. In the last three decades, its place in history has been overshadowed
again by the revenge of the supporters of the Royal House of Romania. Basically, Alexandru Ioan Cuza
has not yet found the right place in the Pantheon of Romanian history and in the collective memory.
Alexandru Ioan Cuza is the founding father of modern Romania. The reforms adopted during his short
reign (1859-1866) laid the foundations of the modern Romanian state. Regardless of who initiated these
reforms - Cuza himself or his team of politicians - the role of Al. I. Cuza is indisputable, because without
his consent they could not be promulgated and could not enter into force. The best proof is in the
legislative projects of 1859-1862 which sought to develop parallel institutions in the two principalities,
which he refused to promulgate.

Starting with 1862, the institutional unification of Moldavia and Wallachia was the main political
objective. Of Cuza's well-known reforms, we draw attention to only two of them.
(1.) The establishment of the two Universities, in Iaşi in 1860 and in Bucharest in 1864, had a
fundamental role, because both the quality of the intellectuals and their number in a country determine
the modernization of the state.

(2.) The secularization of the monastic fortunes brought back to the benefit of the country a quarter of
the arable land, which allowed the adoption of the agrarian reform. By owning about 460.00 peasant
families, the society was relaxed, predominantly rural at that time. To them are added a lot of reforms in
the fiscal, administrative, legal, etc. field, which were inherent in the modernization process of Romania.
All these reforms adopted between 1859-1866 bear the imprint of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The mistakes
and abuses during Cuza's administration are specific to the Romanian society from the middle of the
19th century, in which the "dictatorship" of the prince and the corruption of the dignitaries were the
order of the day. Carol I had, in his turn, a fundamental role in the modernization of Romania and is, like
Alexandru Ioan Cuza, a founding father of modern Romania. He came to a society in which the reform
process was already irreversible. It brought in addition the firmness, rigor and spirit of Prussian
organization and a military experience, which contributed decisively to the next important step in the
history of modern Romania: independence obtained in 1877. Romania, as a modern state, has a
beginning, a founding moment, and this is the Union of January 24, 1859. And Alexandru Ioan Cuza is the
founding father of modern Romania!