Political influences in the development

of Romanian culture


I. Modernization programs in the first half of the nineteenth century.
In the beginning of the nineteenth century emerges for the first time the
idea of a parliamentary regime based on democratic governance. Thus,
during this period appeared several "constitutional projects". They included
the principles of freedom, political and social equality and the principle of
separation of state powers. The large number of such projects of
constitution shows that Romanian society was looking for ways to
modernize and adopt democratic and parliamentary system. The new reformer spirit of the
age of transition is visible in the action of cultural entertainers who founded schools, cultural
institutions, newspapers, literary and theatrical associations in the first half of the nineteenth
century. Here can be mentioned Gheorghe Lazr, Gheorghe Asachi, Dinicu Golescu, Ion
Heliade Rdulescu, Mihail Koglniceanu, George Bariiu etc. Romanian schools from Blaj
were opened in 1754 and had a major role in forming the Transylvanian intellectuals.
Representatives of the Transylvanian School were educated in a modern spirit, and had the
opportunity to study in Western universities.

II. The second half of the nineteenth century
During this period the Romanian society experienced a rapid modernization process at all
levels, including political and cultural. Is the era of the great classics of Romanian literature,
the era in which Romanian authors works gradually acquired stylistic and national
originality. During this period is formed the political and cultural superstructure of a modern
state. Education, media, church, government, military, diplomacy and culture
were in a modern institutionalization process. During the reign of Cuza are
founded the universities from Iasi (1860) and Bucharest (1864) and a large
number of scientific and cultural institutions of major importance like: the
Romanian Society of Sciences (1862), the Society of Natural Sciences
(l865), Romanian Athenaeum (1865) and Romanian Academy (1866).

III. The early twentieth century
In the early twentieth century, Romanian society had reached a critical point in its
evolution due to economic, social and political reforms regarding the situation of peasants
and of vulnerable groups. Confrontations between liberalism and conservatism dominated the
institutional political space and this led to the development of three major currents of thought:
the Social democracy, Samanatorism and Poporanism.

IV. The interwar period
During this period takes place the Great Union of the Romanian
Principalities. The 1923 Constitution establishes the democratic principles
of state organization and integration in modern European civilization. Each
cultural and ideological group attempted a reformulation of the self-
consciousness of Romanian culture and proposed a solution for the
development of Romania. National integration of Transylvania, Bukovina and Banat was
achieved through an extensive program of legislative, institutional, economic and cultural
unification, on the support of the new Constitution from 1923, which led to the unification of
the education system.

V. The communist and post-communist
The communist regime in Romania was established under the direct
pressure of Soviet forces, against the will of the Romanian people, in the
geopolitical situation appeared after the end of the Second World War.
This process had, from 1945 to 1947, a period of heavy transition, which
ended by the forced act of abdication of King Michael in December 30,
1947, and the adoption of the new Constitution in April 1948, that canceled political
pluralism, consecrated complete seizure of power by communist forces and the establishment
of the system of "popular democracy". In Romania, the year 1948 was an important one
because then began a systematic policy of society Communization. At political and cultural
began savage repression against political representatives intellectual elite. In the same year
was institutionalized the ideological censorship, affecting all areas of creative and cultural
activity. Were established lists of publications, works or authors that could be published, and
lists of publications and works that were prohibited. Public libraries were cleared of
forbidden works, but were invaded by translations from Russian literature; publishing houses
and newspapers were put under a strict ideological control. Works of Marx, Engels, Lenin
and Stalin were translated and disseminated up to saturation.
After the anticommunist revolution, for a certain period of time, the political
commitments made for the purpose Romania's integration in Europe, generated
the idea that European integration would be incompatible with the national idea
and the promotion of national values. But the evidence that EU countries did not lost their
cultural identity lead to a new vision, one in which Romania is open to dialogue, exchange of
values and communication with other cultures.






Bibliography:
1. Politica cultural i artele: local, naional, global, editat de Dan-Eugen Raiu, Casa Crii de tiin, Cluj-
Napoca, 2011.
2. Istoria culturii romane moderne, Grigore Georgiu, Bucuresti, 2007.
3. http://www.romaniaculturala.ro/articol.php?cod=7142
4. https://www.google.ro/imghp?hl=ro&tab=wi