Modern Romania

Since the 1989 fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, Romania, arguably the most regimented of states in the Soviet bloc, has struggled with the transition from totalitarian state to democratic nation. In this insightful examination of modern Romania, Tom Gallagher provides an overview of Romania’s unique political and social history, focusing on both its national identity as well as the legacy of Soviet rule. Gallagher provides an in-depth look at Romania since 1989, focusing on the government’s attempts at economic reform, engagement with democracy, problems with corruption among the ruling elite, as well as the weakness of civil society and the resilience of implacable expressions of nationalism. Ultimately, Gallagher argues that thus far democracy has essentially failed in Romania. In fact, he warns that Romania is on its way to becoming one of the most unequal states in Europe and quite possibly a future trouble-spot unless efforts to resume much-needed reforms are undertaken.

A vivid, brilliant, darkly humorous and horrifying history of some of the strangest dictators that Europe has ever seen. 'A witty and page-turning narrative full of grotesque characters' Misha Glenny 'Will leave you astonished, exhausted and curious... An unapologetic page turner' Spectator 'Essential reading for anyone interested in Romania past and present' John Simpson 'An engaging introduction to the rich history [of Romania]' New Statesman Balanced precariously on the shifting fault line between East and West, Romania's past is one of the great untold stories of modern Europe. The country that gave us Vlad Dracula, and whose citizens consider themselves descendants of ancient Rome, has traditionally preferred the status of enigmatic outsider. But it has experienced some of the most disastrous leaderships of the last century. After a relatively benign period led by a dutiful King and his vivacious British-born Queen, the country oscillated wildly. Its interwar rulers form a gallery of bizarre characters: the corrupt and mentally unbalanced King Carol; the fascist death cult led by Corneliu Codreanu; the vain General Ion Antonescu. After 1945 power was handed to Romania's tiny communist party, under which it experienced severe repression, purges and collectivisation. Then in 1965, Nicolae Ceau?escu came to power. And thus began the strangest dictatorship of all.

Cremation, as a means of managing the post-mortem body, was reintroduced to Europe at the end of the eighteenth century, but would not become common practice until the second half of the nineteenth century. This was a major development, with multifaceted implications which generated heated debate. Initially, armed with a variety of arguments (hygienic, economic, aesthetic, and philosophical arguments citing freedom of conscience and will) the advocates of modern cremation – who tended to come from the social and cultural elite – sought to impose their new model. This brought them into conflict with the traditional structures and patterns of burial, and thus with the Church, which had of course originally ended the practice of cremation. The present study is a history of cremation in Romania, beginning with the emergence of cremationist ideas in 1867 and taking the reader up to the present day. It analyses the following key periods: the second half of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, the Interwar period (Romania then being the first Orthodox country in the world to possess a crematorium, which provoked a vehement reaction against cremation on part of the Orthodox Church), the Communist period (when no new crematoria were built even though the Communist regime proclaimed itself to be atheist), and the post-Communist period.

The most comprehensive study of Romanian politics ever published abroad, this volume represents an effort to collect and analyze data on the complex problems of Romania's journey from sultanistic national communism to a yet-unreached democratic government.

Presentations of National Cultures. Fifty-one texts illustrate the evolution of modernism in the east-European region. Essays, articles, poems, or excerpts from longer works offer new opportunities of possible comparisons of the respective national cultures, from the different ideological approaches and finessing projects of how to create the modern state liberal, conservative, socialist and others to the literary and scientific attempts at squaring the circle of individual and collective identities.

A comprehensive and engaging new history charting Romania's development over 2000 years from its establishment to the present day.