Istoria românilor de la origini până in prezent - Vol.2

Ovidiu Pecican tells Romania’s history from 1690 to 2011. This second volume charts the growth of a shared national identity. It also traces the rise of state power. This broad history is for readers drawn to Romania’s past. It shows how old ways clashed with calls for reform.

The book covers Ottoman rule. It looks at wars between Russia, Austria and the Ottoman Empire. It shows how Greek and Levantine groups shaped the ruling class. Austria’s rule in Bukovina forms part of the story. So do the loss of Bessarabia and Russian army rule. Pecican also traces the growth of culture in Romanian. He links a new sense of nation to new institutions. These drew on models from the West. He covers union and freedom from foreign rule. He then looks at rule by kings and state growth.

The book also explores the world of culture. It covers A. D. Xenopol, Nicolae Iorga and Vasile Pârvan. George Enescu and Mircea Eliade also feature. So do Emil Cioran and Eugen Ionescu. Pecican then turns to crises between the two world wars. He looks at extreme regimes and Romania’s role in the Holocaust. He covers war in both East and West. He recounts the loss of lives and land. He also covers five decades of communist rule. He shows how the Gulag destroyed bourgeois, or middle-class, society.

Pecican includes ethnic minority groups and Romanians who live abroad. He stresses how people rebuild after disaster. He also weighs the role of chance. He stays hopeful despite people leaving and strains on the population. Climate change and threats to nature also shape this view. He draws on new research and past historians’ work.

Pecican holds a doctorate in history. He teaches European Studies at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. He writes essays and studies of the past. His work includes monographs, or studies of one subject. It also includes anthologies, or collected works, and texts he has edited.