Prior to the collapse of communism, Romanian historical movies were political, encouraging nationalistic feelings and devotion to the state. Vlad the Impaler and other such iconic figures emerged as heroes rather than loathsome bloodsuckers, celebrating a shared sense of belonging. The past decade has, however, presented Romanian films in which ordinary people are the stars--heroes, go-getters, swindlers and sore losers. The author explores a wide selection, old and new, of films set in the Romanian past.

This paper outlines the main characteristics and the development of the centrally planned economic sysetm in Romania before the beginnings of the transition to a market eonomy it then presents the design, objectives, and implementation of the reform program.

From the interwar period until the end of the Second World War, Romania was in a kind of geopolitical labyrinth, in which it seemed to have multiple possibilities, but they all went in the same direction: the alliance with Germany at the beginning of the Second World War, the act of August 23, 1944 as it stood, and the status subsequently established by the Treaty of Paris. Throughout this period, the Romanian Army played a major role through its leaders and the sacrifice of the Romanian soldiers, and the act of August 23, 1944 was a legitimate and legal act, in which King Mihai I and the Army were the main decision makers. After a presentation of the context of Romania's entry into the Second World War, follows the description of Romania's evolution during the war, with emphasis on the attempts to conclude an armistice with the Western Allies and the role of the Army during this period. The act of August 23, 1944 is then detailed separately, highlighting the diversity of opinions on this event. The last section presents the implications of this act on Romania, after the end of the Second World War. CONTENTS: Abstract 1. The context of Romania's entry into the Second World War 2. Second World War 3. The act of August 23, 1944 4. Implications of the act of August 23, 1944 Bibliography Notes DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31080.55040

The Romanian Revolution of 1989 ended 42 years of Communist rule. It was the bloodiest revolution in a Warsaw Pact country, culminating in the overthrow and execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu. However, there was no major democratic reform and power remained in the hands of key figures from the old regime. This has led many theorists to question the authenticity of the entire revolution. Performative Contradiction and the Romanian Revolution focuses-in on the circumstances which led to these accusations. It argues that the notion of an authentic revolution, as a conceptual paradigm, is neither a sufficient, appropriate, nor useful tool for an analysis of the events in Romania. Engaging with the work of theorists including Stieglar, Agamben, Baudrillard, Badiou, Spinoza and Derrida it argues that performative contradiction is a more useful theoretical model for exploring this event. Applying the concept to specific cases within the revolution, the book demonstrates the power of performative contradiction as an analytic tool.

This review provides the first comprehensive portrait of the Romanian diaspora in OECD countries. By profiling Romanian emigrants, this review aims to strengthen knowledge about this community and thus help to consolidate the relevance of the policies deployed by Romania towards its emigrants.

The studies included in this volume reflect on the history and culture of Romania during the twentieth century, a critical century for the country that saw such realizations as the achievement of national unity, as well as the horrors of two world wars and the installation of a brutal communist dictatorship, ending in the overthrow of the totalitarian regime and the hopes for a freer and more prosperous future. These papers, written in English and Romanian, were presented at the Eighth International Conference of the Center for Romanian Studies, held in Iasi, Romania, on 24-25 June 2002, on the theme "Twentieth Century Romania: A Retrospective." Studies include: Dumitru Sandru, Arestarile Operate În 1945 În RomÂnia Dupa Instaurarea Guvernului Petru Groza; Matthew H. Ciscel, Cei de la Rusi: The linguistic identity of the Bessarabian Romanians in the 20th Century; Dissidents of the Great Unification?; Stelu Serban, About electoral volatility in interwar Romania; Simona Gheorghiu, Nicolae Iorga and the Iron Guard; Florian Banu, Regele Carol al II-lea si emigratia romÂneasca din America În timpul celui de-al doilea razboi mondial; Mihail Rotaru, Sfatul Tarii si autodeterminarea Basarabiei; Basil D. Georgiadis, Life After Ceausescu: The Challenge of Democracy and NATO Membership for Romania; Wally Bacon, Contextualizing Interwar Romanian-Polish Relations; Liviu Groza, Periodicizari ?i Tranzitii În Secolul XX din perspectiva romÂneasca; and many more.