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Romania
Index
Like its predecessor, this study is an attempt to treat
in a
compact and objective manner the dominant social,
political,
economic, and military aspects of contemporary Romania.
Unfortunately, during the intervening months between the
completion
of research (July 1989) and publication, economic, and
social
upheaval of its post-World War II history. The
introduction briefly
chronicles the tumultuous events that have transpired
between late
December 1989 and December 1990. Although the text proper
does not
address the changes wrought by these events, it provides
information that will enable the reader to understand why
romania's
move away from communism was simultaneously more turbulent
and
inconclusive than was the case elsewhere in Eastern
Europe. The
study provides the context for Romania's "revolution," the
violent
demise of the detested Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, the
displacement of the Romanian Communist Party by the
National
Salvation Front, the reemergence of long-dormant political
parties,
and the escalation of interethnic tensions inside the
country and
with Hungary and the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Sources of information included the most authoritative
English
and foreign-language literature, including books,
anthologies,
scholarly journals, newspapers, and United States and
Romanian
government publications. An objective description of
Romanian
society in the late 1980s, however, presented special
challenges
because of the paucity of reliable statistical data in
official
Romanian sources and because of the propagandizing mission
of the
state-controlled press. Each chapter closes with a brief
annotated
bibliography listing several works for additional reading.
Complete
bibliographic citations for these and other sources
consulted by
the authors appear at the end of the book.
Measurements are given in the metric system; a
conversion table
is provided to assist readers unfamiliar with that system
(see
table 1, Appendix). Diacritical marks appear on Romanian
place
names and other words as rendered by the United States
Board on
Geographic Names. Recurring special terms appear in the
glossary at
the end of the book.
pre
Data as of July 1989
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