Description
Book Synopsis2014 marked the 25th anniversary of the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe. The events of 1989 are widely seen as having ushered in new all-encompassing reforms in almost all areas of life. In few other places were reforms more contested and divisive than in Romania, a country that suffered greatly under the sultanistic-cum-totalitarian dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, faced the region's only bloody anti-communist revolt, and as such had the longest to travel on the road from communism to democracy. We now have a generation's worth of experience with these wrenching reforms that have deeply affected Romania's political institutions and political culture, and ultimately allowed it to become a member of the coveted European Union club. This volume gathers key lessons for democratic theory and practice from Romania's first twenty-five years of post-communist transformation. Written by leading experts in the field of Romanian Studies, the chapters focus on the most important
Table of ContentsTable of Content Preface – Paul E. Sum Introduction – Lavinia Stan Part I. Expectations for a Democratic Future and Worries about the Communist Past Chapter 1. The Start of a New Era? Romanians React to Ceauşescu’s Fall – Katherine Verdery Chapter 2. Coming to Terms with the Communist Past: Democracy and Memory in Romania –Marius Stan and Vladimir Tismaneanu Chapter 3. Public Space and the Material Legacies of Communism in Bucharest – Duncan Light and Craig Young Part II. Politics from Below: Identity, Civil Society, and the Media Chapter 4. Ethnicity, Nationalism and the ‘Minority Regime’ – Levente Salat and Csaba Zoltán Novak Chapter 5. On Women, Feminism and Democracy – Mihaela Miroiu Chapter 6. Political Culture and Participation: Between Enthusiasm and Indifference – Radu Cinpoes Chapter 7. Spectacular Alterations, Few Changes in Romania’s Media – Peter Gross Part III. Politics from Above: Representation, Parties, and Presidents Chapter 8. Representation, Incumbency and the Quality of Romanian Democracy – Ronald F. King and Cosmin Gabriel Marian Chapter 9. Unsocial Democrats: The PSD’s Negative Role in Romania’s Democracy – Tom Gallagher Chapter 10. House of Cards: The Presidency from Iliescu to Basescu – Lavinia Stan and Diane Vancea Part IV. The EU Factor: Accession, Rule of Law, and Human Rights Chapter 11. Romania's Commitment to the Rule of Law? – Dennis Deletant Chapter 12. Environmental Network Governance in Romania – Cristina E. Parau Conclusion – Monica Ciobanu
