One hundred years of solitude
Fundamental features of the history of Romania
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Greater Romania was created in 1918 from the hereditary mass of three empires. Throughout all the regime changes, the political elites have pursued the goal of creating a homogeneous state and society. To achieve this aim, they made use of an uncompromising form of ethno-nationalism. The elites pursued a policy of centralist, authoritarian rule. This authoritarianism is essentially a consequence of the country’s precipitous, and later aborted, departure towards a modern mass society. It was supported by the secret services, the church, the army and the Academy of Sciences. These institutions survived throughout the entire period. However, in 2019, democracy has better chances of prevailing than ever before in the history of Romania.
(Osteuropa 6-8/2019, pp. 7–36)