Rumania 1866-1947 (Oxford History of Modern Europe)

This Latest Volume In The Acclaimed Oxford History Of Modern Europe Series Looks At The Collapse Of Communist Power Which Has Once Again Focused Attention On The Processes Of Nation-building In Central And Eastern Europe. In This Comprehensive Study, Keith Hitchins Focuses On How Rumania's Political And Intellectual Elites Attempted To Establish An Independent State Before The Advent Of Communist Rule In 1947. It Traces The Efforts Of The Country's Leaders To Create The Institutions Of A Modern State, To Europeanize Without Losing National Identity, And To Find Ways Of Preserving Independence In The International Political And Economic Order Dominated By The Great Powers. In His Study, Hitchins Emphasizes How Rumania's Past History Is Essential To A Clear Understanding Of Its Complex Present And Future. 1. Independence, 1866-1881 -- 2. Models Of Development -- 3. The Reign Of King Charles, 1881-1914 -- 4. Society And The Economy -- 5. The Rumanians Outside Rumania -- 6. The First World War -- 7. The Great Debate -- 8. Society And The Economy, 1919-1940 -- 9. Politics, 1919-1940 -- 10. Foreign Policy, 1919-1940 -- 11. The Second World War, 1940-1944 -- 12. The Transition, 1944-1947. By Keith Hitchins. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. From the mid-nineteenth century until the Second World War, the energies of Rumanian political and intellectual lites were absorbed by the building of their nation. In this comprehensive and scholarly study Keith Hitchins traces these complex processes and explores how Rumania's leaders attempted to transform the ideology of modern nationhood into strong political, economic, and social institutions and to find ways of preserving independence in an international political and economic order dominated by the great powers. As the new Rumania took shape, the threads of historical continuity remained strikingly evident: in government a strong administrative centralization prevailed, despite the maturing of parliamentary institutions and the diversity of political expression; the national economy remained beholden to agriculture, despite the steady growth of industry; and in cultural life traditional values persisted, despite the adoption of modern forms. In foreign relations the most pressing aim was to untie all Rumanians in a single state and to defend its sovereignty within an uncertain international order. In all of these endeavours, the measure of achievement was the West. After the Second World War, when the Communist Party came to power, this historical continuity was broken. The earlier experiment in nation-building gave way to a new ideology, and Rumania now turned to the Soviet political and economic model. From the mid-nineteenth century until the Second World War, the energies of Rumanian political and intellectual élites were absorbed by the building of their nation. In this comprehensive and scholarly study Keith Hitchins traces these complex processes and explores how Rumania's leaders attempted to transform the ideology of modern nationhood into strong political, economic, and social institutions and to find ways of preserving independence in an international political and economic order dominated by the great powers. As the new Rumania took shape, the threads of historical continuity remained strikingly evident: in government a strong administrative centralization prevailed, despite the maturing of parliamentary institutions and the diversity of political expression; the national economy remained beholden to agriculture, despite the steady growth of industry; and in cultural life traditional values persisted, despite the adoption of modern forms. In foreign relations the most pressing aim was to unite all Rumanians in a single state and to defend its sovereignty within an uncertain international order. In all these endeavours, the measure of achievement was the West. After the Second World War, when the Communist Party came to power, this historical continuity was broken. The experiment in nation-building gave way to a new ideology, and Rumania now turned to the Soviet political and economic model.