Romania Confronts Its Communist Past: Democracy, Memory, And Moral Justice

Synopsis

Reckoning with mass crimes perpetrated by an ideologically driven regime entails engaging in a thorough-going exploration of its utopian foundations. In the case of Romania, such an analysis requires an interpretation of the role of personality in the construction of a uniquely grotesque and unrepentant form of neo-Stalinist despotism.

Of all the revolutions of 1989, the only violent one took place in Romania. Confronting its communist past therefore involves addressing the abuses committed by the communist regime up to its very last day, its failure to engage in Round Table-type agreements with democratic representatives, and the repression during the first post-communist years, a direct legacy of the old regime. This book shows how moral justice can contribute to a restoration of truth and a climate of trust in politics, in the absence of which any democratic polity remains exposed to authoritarian attack.

Highlights the challenges of addressing a nation's traumatic past through a revealing case study and comparative perspective.

Offers unique insight into the political psychology of post-communist states.

Co-authored by Vladimir Tismaneanu, the Chair of the Presidential Commission for the Analysis of the Communist Dictatorship in Romania, whose Final Report was the basis for President Băsescu's condemnation of the communist dictatorship as illegitimate and criminal.

Copyright:

2018

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

206 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781108657969

Related ISBNs:

9781107025929, 9781107025929

Publisher:

Cambridge University Press

Date of Addition:

06/16/18

Copyrighted By:

Vladimir Tismaneanu and Marius Stan

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Law, Legal Issues and Ethics, Politics and Government, Sociology

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.