 Under pressure from the large landowners in the original territories of Romania, the land reform required compensations to the former owners, in contrast with the earlier declarations of the "Sfatul Țării" which proposed expropriation of property or even socialization.In a bid to gain legal recognition of the union, Romanian also concluded inter-governmental accords which offered preferential compensations to deposed owners of British, French and Italian citizenship.The literacy rate grew to over 40% by 1930; however, the region continued to lag educationally.