Disappointed in their hopes and reasonable expectations, the Rumanians adopted the principle of ‘help yourself and God will help you’, and proceeded to the election of their rulers.  Several candidates competed in Moldavia.  To avoid a split vote the name of an outsider was put forward the day before the election, and on January 17, 1859, Colonel Alexander Ioan Cuza was unanimously elected.  In Wallachia the outlook was very uncertain when the assembly met, amid great popular excitement, on February 5.  The few patriots who had realized that the powers, seeking only their own interests, were consciously and of set purpose hampering the emancipation of a long-suffering nation, put forth and urged the election of Cuza, and the assembly unanimously adopted this spirited suggestion.  By this master-stroke the Rumanians had quietly accomplished the reform which was an indispensable condition towards assuring a better future.  The political moment was propitious.  Italy’s military preparation prevented Austria from intervening, and, as usual when confronted with an accomplished fact, the great powers and Turkey finished by officially recognizing the action of the principalities in December 1861.  The central commission was at once abolished, the two assemblies and cabinets merged into one, and Bucarest became the capital of the new state ‘Rumania’.

If the unsympathetic attitude of the powers had any good result, it was to bring home for the moment to the Rumanians the necessity for national unity.  When the danger passed, however, the wisdom which it had evoked followed suit.  Cuza cherished the hope of realizing various ideal reforms.  Confronted with strong opposition, he did not hesitate to override the constitution by dissolving the National Assembly (May 2, 1864) and arrogating to himself the right, till the formation of a new Chamber, to issue decrees which had all the force of law.  He thus gave a dangerous example to the budding constitutional polity; political passions were let loose, and a plot organized by the Opposition led to the forced abdication of Cuza on February 23, 1866.  The prince left the country for ever a few days later.  No disturbance whatever took place, not one drop of blood was shed.

A series of laws, mostly adapted from French models, was introduced by Cuza.  Under the Education Act of 1864 all degrees of education were free, and elementary education compulsory.  A large number of special and technical schools were founded, as well as two universities, one at Jassy (1860) and one at Bucarest (1864).  After the coup d’etat of 1864 universal suffrage was introduced, largely as an attempt to ‘swamp’ the fractious political parties with the peasant vote; while at the same time a ‘senate’ was created as a ‘moderating assembly’ which, composed as it was of members by right and members nominated by the prince, by its very nature increased the influence of the crown.  The chief reforms concerned the rural question.