Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Romanian
Original Language: Romanian
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Short History of this Balkan Country,
By Acute Observer (By the Shore NJ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Romanians: A History (Romanian Literature and Thought in Translation Series) (Hardcover)
The Romanians, Vlad Georgescu
Vlad Georgescu was a director of the Romanian Service of Radio Free Europe until his death in 1988. This is the first study of Romania in English since 1934. It covers the Romanian people from pre-Roman times and covers society, economics, and political institutions. Chapter 1 tells of human life in the dawn of history. Agriculture dates back to 6,000BC, with domesticated cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. There was a Bronze Age and an Iron Age; and conflicts with the Greeks and Romans. Trajan conquered Dacia in 101 AD (p.5). It was a bastion against the barbarians (p.7). Dacia produced grain and minerals for Rome. Christianity was adopted after 313. Romanian words come from Latin (p.11). The Visigoths and Huns invaded, towns were destroyed. The actual formation of the Romanian people was complete by 1000 AD (p.12). The Romanian language was based on vulgar Latin with Slavic influence. Chapter 2 covers the Middle Ages, 1300-1716. The Wallachian plains and open areas of Moldavia were overrun by armies (p.21). The first oil wells existed in the 15th century (p.24). The Ottoman Empire affected Romania until the mid 19th century (p.26). The feudal period turned the free communes of peasants into serfs (pp.29-30). Peasants were oppressed to get more money (p.31). An elective monarchy evolved into dynastic succession (p.35). Conflict between prince and boyars led to a weakened state and foreign intervention (p.36). A small country had to make deals with its bigger neighbors (pp.48-51). Prince Michael the Brave won independence (p.55), and conquered Transylvania and Moldavia. Romania formed an alliance with Peter the Great of Russia (p.58). They began to use the Roman alphabet instead of Cyrillic by the late 16th century (p.67). There were seven wars in Moldavia and Wallachia between 1711 and 1829 (p.75). The people were oppressed to pay more taxes (p.86). The Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29 increased the autonomy of Moldavia and Wallachia (p.105). Ethnic consciousness grew (p.116). Chapter 4 tells of "The Age of National Revival" from 1831 to 1918. The end of Turkish fortresses increased agricultural production. By 1913 Romania was the fourth largest wheat exporter in the world. The petroleum industry for lighting began in 1857. Agrarian reform was the big political question in the mid 19th century. There were uprisings in 1888 and 1907, the great landed estates were broken up in 1921 (p.134). Neutral Romania joined the Entente to acquire provinces (p.168) with the support of Russia (p.170). There was an increase in prosperity except for the rural population, who suffered from a poor diet (p.176). Few peasants emigrated to America (pp.187-188). Romania expanded after World War I (Chapter 5). Agrarian reform eliminated large estates, Romania continued to be a leader in agricultural production (pp.198-199). The Royal Dictatorship of 1938 reversed past history and laws (p.207). Romania joined the Axis, then declared war on Germany in 1944. It became part of the Russian sphere of influence after 1945, the Communist Party gained power (p.227). Most production was nationalized (Chapter 6). Peasants had to sell their produce to the state (p.235). Urban population rose and rural population fell (p.236), per capita income rose. Cultural changes continued (p.251). The foreign policy showed independence (p.253). The rise of Ceausescu and a "cult of personality" was followed by bad economic policies. Strict centralization led to inefficiency, producing poverty not wealth (p.259). Rationing returned in 1981 (p.260)! Chapter 7 tells about the deteriorating economy in the 1980s. Resources were wasted, Romania borrowed from the IMF, and its population became the most impoverished (p.271). Protests were repressed (p.278). The `Epilogue' discusses the 1989 Revolution and the popular uprising that ended Communist rule. The Army switched sides (pp.280-282). Autocratic politics led to problems (p.288). Would "fragile democratic traditions" be revived (p.296)? The authors wonder about the future (p.297).
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
OK but not exactly what I was looking for,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Romanians: A History (Romanian Literature and Thought in Translation Series) (Hardcover)
While the book was good, it served only to provide background information for what I really needed.
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