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16 - Romania: In the Shadow of the Past

from Part Five - Southeastern Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2019

By
Lavinia Stan
Edited by
Sabrina P. Ramet  and
Christine M. Hassenstab
Sabrina P. Ramet
Affiliation:
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
Christine M. Hassenstab
Affiliation:
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
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Summary

By the time the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceau?escu collapsed in December 1989, Romania was more backward and autarchic than other Central and East European countries, perhaps with the exception of Albania. Since then, the country has experienced a rocky democratization and marketization process under Presidents Ion Iliescu (1990–1996 and 2000–2004), Emil Constantinescu (1996–2000), Traian Basescu (2004–2014), and Klaus Iohannis (since 2014). The chapter summarizes post-communist Romania’s political, economic, and social transitions before and after the country’s acceptance as a European Union member state in January 2007. The establishment of the semi-presidential republic, the introduction of a free market economy, the representation of minorities in political institutions, the adoption of transitional justice programs, and relations between the state and the country’s main religious denominations are discussed in some detail, together with the weakness of the civil society, pervasive clientelism, and political corruption.

Keywords

unstable democracycorruption and clientelismsemi-presidential republicIon IliescuEmil ConstantinescuTraian Basescu
Type
Chapter
Information
Central and Southeast European Politics since 1989 , pp. 427 - 448
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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References

Further Reading

Carey, Henry F. (ed.). Romania since 1989: Politics, economics and society (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2004).Google Scholar
Gallagher, Tom. Modern Romania: The end of communism, the failure of democratic reform, and the theft of a nation (New York: New York University Press, 2005).Google Scholar
Georgescu, Vlad. The Romanians: A history (Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press, 1991).Google Scholar
Phinnemore, Davis (ed.). The EU and Romania: Great expectations (London: The Federal Trust, 2007).Google Scholar
Roper, Steven. Romania: The unfinished revolution (London: Routledge, 2000).Google Scholar
Siani-Davies, Peter. The Romanian Revolution of December 1989 (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2007).Google Scholar
Stan, Lavinia. Transitional Justice in Post-communist Romania: The politics of memory (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013).Google Scholar
Stan, Lavinia and Turcescu, Lucian. Religion and Politics in Post-communist Romania (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007).Google Scholar
Stan, Lavinia and Vancea, Diane (eds.). Post-communist Romania at Twenty-Five: Linking past, present and future (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015).Google Scholar

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