 Meanwhile, the neighboring region of Transnistria, part of the Ukrainian SSR at the time, was formed into the Moldavian ASSR after the failure of the Tatarbunary Uprising in 1924.The land reform, implemented by "Sfatul Țării" in 1918–1919, resulted in a rise of a middle class, as 87% of the region's population lived in rural areas.The reform was however marred by the small size of the awarded plots, as well as by preferential allotment of land to politicians and administrative personnel who had supported the political goals of the Romanian government.