When war broke out in the Balkans, Romania, one of the Balkan countries, was also facing an unstable situation.
Antonescu, then Romania's Secretary of State for War and Chief of Staff, sought an audience with Romanian King Carol II after the outbreak of the Balkan Wars. He firmly opposed Carol II's contacts with Russia and requested authorization to form a new Cabinet Government.
In the eyes of Romanian King Carol II, such a demand was naturally absurd.
As one would expect, Antonescu was arrested by Carol II and stripped of all his positions and powers.
However, Carol II had clearly underestimated Antonescu's importance in the eyes of Germany and Italy.
The day after Antonescu was arrested, the German ambassador to Romania sought an audience with Carol II, demanding that he immediately release Antonescu and allow him to form a new Romanian cabinet.
If this had merely been Antonescu's own opinion, Carol II could naturally have ignored it. But the one making this demand had changed from Antonescu to the German Government, and Carol II had no choice but to consider it carefully.
Besides verbal threats, the Germans also offered Romania a tangible benefit: they promised to cede Hungary's Transylvania to Romania after the war ended.
Transylvania lay in eastern Hungary, near Romania. The whole of Transylvania was almost equivalent to more than half of present-day Romania's territory. If Romania could annex Transylvania, it would undoubtedly greatly increase its overall national strength.
With Transylvania dangled before him like a huge prize, Carol II began to waver over his previous decision.
On November 3, 1936, Romanian King Carol II released Antonescu and granted him the authority to form a new Cabinet Government.
Almost simultaneously, the Romanian Government agreed to Germany's demand and was willing to cede Dobruja, which had originally belonged to