Romania After Ceausescu: The Politics of Intolerance [Paperback]

Tom Gallagher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0748606130 | ISBN-13: 978-0748606139 0

The Romanian experience is a classic example of the use and abuse of nationalism in politics. The definition of national values has been at the core of politics in independent Romania as the country has switched from constitutional monarchy to right-wing dictatorship and, more recently, to communist rule. This study examines how nationalism has been used by rulers to bridge the gulf between state and society and deflect critical attention from economic mismanagement and human rights abuses. This comprehensive account of post-1989 Romania, based on local observation and material, shows how ex-communist officials in charge of Romania have used nationalism to delay the passage of the country from a closed to an open political system. Arguing that an agenda of limited change has been pursued by reluctant democrats who have acquired legitimacy by promoting nationalist values from the pre-Communist era, this book balances media coverage of Romania, and places the growth of Romanian nationalism in a wider European context.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tom Gallagher is Reader in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford and author of Portugal: A Twentieth Century Interpretation andNationalism in the Nineties.

Product Details

• Paperback: 267 pages
• Publisher: Edinburgh Univ Pr (May 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0748606130
• ISBN-13: 978-0748606139
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,202,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars From the cover ..., May 13, 2009

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Kashley Entertainment "KashleyEntertainment" (KashleyEntertainment) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Romania After Ceausescu: The Politics of Intolerance (Paperback)

FROM THE COVER:

Romania has been at the centre of the ethnic and ideological storms which have shaken the Balkans and made Europe one of the most unstable parts of the globe. With the overthrow of Ceausescu, it looked as if the country was poised to replace an ethnic state with a civic one that respected minority rights, and offered the prospect of both internal consensus and reconciliation with estranged neighbours like Hungary. Instead, a limited democracy has emerged in which authoritarian practices have not been eradicated, and whose future is uncertain.

Based on extensive fieldwork, Tom Gallagher explains what prevented the promise of the 1989 revolt from being fulfilled. He shows how continuity as well as change has marked Romania's rocky transition to a semi-pluralistic form of politics, and examines how nationalism has been used to deflect critical attention from economic mismanagement and human rights abuses. What happened in Transylvania's principal city, Cluj - when hardline nationalists won power and inter-ethnic conflicts ensued - could, he argues, be repeated at a national level. The results would be catastrophic for the democratic prospects of the country, and perhaps even for the stability of the region as a whole.