First sung during the uprisings of 1848, "Deșteaptă-te române!" became a favourite among Romanians and it has seen play during various historical events, including as part of Romania's declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), and during World War I. The song received particularly heavy radio broadcast in the days following King Michael's Coup of 23 August 1944, when Romania switched sides, turning against Nazi Germany and joining the Allies in World War II.