A Concise History of Romania

Cambridge Concise Histories

by Keith Hitchins

Spanning a period of 2000 years from the Roman conquest of Dacia to the present day, A Concise History of Romania traces the development of a unique nation situated on the border between East and West. In this illuminating new history, Keith Hitchins explores Romania's struggle to find its place amidst two diverse societies: one governed by Eastern orthodox tradition, spirituality and agriculture and the other by Western rationalism, experimentation and capitalism. The book charts Romania's advancement through five significant phases of its history: medieval, early modern, modern and finally the nation's 'return to Europe'; evaluating all the while Romania's part in European politics, economic and social change, intellectual and cultural renewals and international entanglements. This is a fascinating history of an East European nation; one which sheds new light on the complex evolution of the Romanians and the identity they have successfully crafted from a unique synthesis of traditions.

Genres: History, Romania, Nonfiction, Romanian Literature, European History

327 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2014

About the author

An expert in the history of Romania, Keith Arnold Hitchins was professor of Eastern European history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Hitchins earned a BA from Union College, he earned a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University in 1964 under the direction of Robert Lee Wolff. Before taking up his position at the University of Illinois, Hitchins taught at Wake Forest University and Rice University.

Reviews

[Horia Bura · Rating 4 out of 5]

O foarte buna sinteza de istorie a romanilor, realizata prin ochii si din condeiul unui istoric strain obiectiv, impartial, desi bine implantat in istoriografia romaneasca prezenta. Considerat deja de ceva vreme un specialist in istoria moderna a romanilor (a se vedea cele doua volume traduse la Humanitas), Hitchins si-a propus in aceasta carte o privire de ansamblu, destul de cuprinzatoare pentru cele aproximativ 350 de pagini ale sale.

Ce mi-a placut: 1. spre deosebire de alti autori de sinteze de istorie a romanilor (multe dintre ele bine scrise si chiar ''palpitante''), Hitchins este mult mai analitic si interpretativ fata de diversele evolutii si fenomene istorice, incercand sa pastreze un echilibru intre aspectele pozitive si negative (chiar si-n cazul perioadei comuniste) si subliniind permanent limitele unei anumite actiuni istorice (cum ar fi, ca sa raman in aceiasi parametri, asa-zisa si clamata independenta a Romaniei fata de URSS, inceputa de Dej si continuata de Ceausescu). Datorita faptului ca nu se limiteaza doar la o redare simpl(ist)a, strict narativa, a evenimentelor, ci, din contra, problematizeaza si include intr-un cadru mai mare, general, european (''the bigger picture''), Hitchins merita citit si apreciat pentru aceasta abordare. 2. In plus, ca un bonus, interesanta si utila privirea aruncata asupra evolutiei postdecembriste, surprinsa in toata splendoarea-i contradictorie si sincopata. 3. Si o mare bila alba pentru abordarea si integrarea istoriei culturale (in primul rand la nivel literar si filosofic) si a civilizatiei romanesti, care beneficiaza de consistente (si foarte bune) subcapitole dedicate, ceea ce reprezinta un lucru mai rar intalnit intr-o lucrare de acest tip.

Ce nu mi-a placut: nu c-as fi vreun mare fan al istoriei vechi sau medievale, dar, din punct de vedere cantitativ, in configuratia acestei sinteze, cele doua perioade nu ocupa decat vreo 60 de pagini, in timp ce restul istoriei (moderna si contemporana, de la 1774 - luat ca reper datorita pacii de la Kuciuk-Kainargi, dar si a debutului luptei boierilor pentru autonomia Tarilor Romane, in prima faza - si pana-n zilele noastre) se desfasoara pe mai bine de 4 ori mai multe pagini, adica vreo 260. Fireste ca sursele istorice abundente provin din istoria moderna si contemporana, dar, chiar si asa, cred ca acest dezechilibru de constructie ar fi putut fi evitat daca autorul nu si-ar fi ''taiat partea leului'' atat de mult.

Una peste alta, o lucrare istoriografica foarte buna, bine si echilibrat scrisa, cu o deschidere generoasa atat catre specialisti, cat si catre simplii pasionati de istorie.

[Dana Para · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pe scurt: titlul e clar – e o scurtă istorie a României; un fel de axă care punctează principalele momente și evenimente istorice și le pune în context. Începe cu Burebista și sfârșește cu aderarea României la U.E., împărțită în 7 capitole: 1. Începuturile; 2. Între Est și Vest, din secolul XIV-lea până în 1774; 3. De la Est la Vest, 1774-1866; 4. Statul național, 1866-1919; 5. Pace și Război, 1919-1947; 6. Comunismul românesc, 1948-1989; 7. După 1989. Perioadele relevante delimitate pe capitole sunt analizate în context socio-politico-economico-cultural – dar, tot timpul în paradigma influențelor Est/Vest.

Plus: faptul că autorul (Keith Hitchins) stabilește încă de la început o teză clară „ceea ce îi definește cu precădere pe români pe termen lung este locul lor între Est și Vest” și teza asta funcționează ca un reper. Mie mi-a plăcut pentru că nu te lasă să orbecăi prin carte pur și simplu, trecând în revistă telegrafic răscoala X, revoluția Y, regele Z, ci că analizează răscoala, revoluția, regele – în contextul Est/Vest.

Totodată, pe lângă faptul că prezintă echilibrat teorii istorice cu privire la teme controversate (aspect la care mă așteptam) – cartea-i super frumos scrisă. Stilul în care relatează evenimentele te prinde.

De asemenea, mi-a plăcut că deși e scurtă, e comprehensivă și prezintă contextul economic, politic, social, cultural și spiritual pe care fiecare perioadă l-a adus la pachet.

Minus: nu cred ca-i neapărat bine proporțonată, adică e clar că accentul cade pe epoca modernă. Perioadele anterioare sunt muult comprimate. Daar pentru mine și asta ar veni ca un plus, că mi se pare mai interesantă așa.

Egal: mi-a plăcut și am plecat din lectura asta și cu recomandări de lecturi viitoare de prin toate epocile prin care m-a trecut autorul. Am scăzut o steluță pentru că-i un pic disproporționată; în rest, top.

[Xaime Fernández · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cumple con lo que promete. No es un libro excepcional pero sí práctico, se trata de una exposición breve y concisa de la historia de Rumanía desde los tiempos de los Dacios a su integración en la comunidad europea. Se trata de un buen libro para iniciarse al tema, ya que permite crearse un mapa mental con los principales hechos y temas de la historia nacional aunque no llegue a profundizar en ningún período; con la excepción quizás de la época de entreguerras y el período comunista, a los que presta un poco más de atención. El hilo conductor de la narración lo constituye sin duda la dialéctica entre Este y Occidente, tradición y modernidad, que el autor considera que determina la práctica totalidad de la historia rumana.

[Jill Cordry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read some Romanian history prior to reading Robert Kaplan's IN EUROPE'S SHADOW: TWO COLD WARS AND A THIRTY YEAR JOURNEY THROUGH ROMANIA which is for my Current Affairs Bookclub. I am so glad I did, and am now looking forward to reading more from the 'concise histories' series from Cambridge University Press. Although, at over 300 pages, I'm not sure I would label it concise. Nor is the writing as bare bones and succinct as the Oxford University Press 'a very short introduction' series. A CONCISE HISTORY OF ROMANIA is intended as a university text book as well as a historical introduction, and a reader with a specific time period or topic would easily be able to make sense of reading only certain portions.

[Chris Wares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, authoritative and well written history of Romania from the Dacians through to present day.

I was particularly interested by Hitchens treatment of Romanian historiography through the twentieth century and how it has been manipulated to serve the purposes of Soviet domination and Romanian's peculiar communist nationalism.

[Jonathan Lipman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable history of Romania. Draws out what appears to be the key historical (and ongoing?) question for the country: whether to look for inspiration to East or West. And connected with that, how to protect its borders, and treat its variety of minorities (not always propitiously...). A good intro.

[Sebastian Pintilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

On my second reading I realized just how little emphasis is put on the history of pre-1859 Romania. This is, of course, due to the author's expertise in modern history, but it was a bit disappointing to see that after one quarter of the book I was already reading about the 19th century. Yet this still remains an amazingly well-researched and written history book.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as concise as it should have been regarding the political history but generally interesting.

[BigP09 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was interested in a perspective for our history from the outside. I liked that the focus was on the >1800 periods which are some of the most influential for the state of the country today, but also periods of less focus for the history lessons. A big focus was on the idea of Romania being like a bridge between Western and Eastern civilizations and how that influenced culture, politics and other aspects of life.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great introduction to Romanian history. Despite being a Romanian, I had not known much of my own history, only bits and pieces from my parents.

Hitchins does a good job at looking at history overall and connecting the past and present together.

I recommend this book if you wish to understand more about Romanian history from a neutral standpoint.

[Traian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book should be read by all people interested to better understand our (Romanian) history, culture and politics. The author shows how Romania has been at the crossroads of East and West for the last couple of thousand years and how this influenced our customs, economy, politics, and culture. Hitchins is very balanced and tries to present all sides of the story, allowing the reader to make his/her own decisions about certain unconclusive or controversial elements in Romanian history. Being an outsider / bystander, he does not sell the reader a specific point of view as other (Romanian) historians usually are inclined to do.

[Andreea Borz · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a start, there is nothing concise about this book. There are a few ideas that are constantly repeated in a mantric manner. Although it starts pretty good, this book is more about the romanian people and the evolution of their ethnicity throughout history. There are a lot of historical events that are left out or shallow approached, as the author insists more on ideas, ideologies, political views and random historical personalities. Bottom line, I think this is only a complementary book one can read when it comes about romanian history.

[Trilu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a Romanian but I needed to move to Canada to read about the history of Romania from a USA writer to understand that Romania has come a long way and it's a miracle it survived as a nation between three powerful empires, Russian, Otoman and Austro-Hungarian.

[Claudia V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, the title is pretty clear: it's a concise history of Romania. But here's where the problem lies for me: it was too concise! Names and dates get chained together quickly and succinctly, making it a mix of names that I can barely remember. So you get to see paragraphs that mention Stefan Cel Mare, Mihai Viteazul, Tudor Vladimirescu, Ion Ghica, Iuliu Maniu, Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej but they all are explained in less than one page! Despite the fact that the author tries his best to explain the overall context of events I was still dissatisfied by its briefness. This is one of the few books I wish were longer, because in the space of 350 pages, there's no way you can explore all these subjects to a even close degree satisfactorily.

The book is otherwise well written and is overall a pleasure to read. Not once did I feel bored reading it. If only all books were the same. It has also 'inspired' me to look out for Keith Hitchins' other Romania related books.

Recommend to people who have a casual interest into Romania's history, without all the underlying details.

[Bob Finch · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extensive and thoughtfully written history of Romania from the early Middle Ages through the early 21st century. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the number of likely source materials, treatment of the country’s earliest beginnings through the 18th & 19th centuries is brief compared to later periods, with the greatest attention paid to the late 19th century through the fall of Ceauşescu’s regime in 1989. The author nicely lays the foundations for the emergence of modern Romania and its never-ending challenge to define itself. The author draws on numerous sources, some of which he lists in an appendix for “ further reading”; however, he provides no notes or references to any of his sources in the text. I found this disappointing.

[Roxana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oscilez între 4 și 5 stele. Chiar mi-a plăcut. In special partea din evul mediu până la al doilea război mondial. Parcă e spusă povestea într-un mod captivant. Cu un hint de House of Cards, political drama :)

Mi-a plăcut și că nu se oprește la1989, și chiar mi-ar fi plăcut să fie mai lungă partea aia până la integrarea în UE.

Singura parte care nu m-a încântat de fapt, a fost comunismul. Deși.....nu știu de ce. Am aflat și lucuri noi.... Cred că și aici mi-ar fi plăcut să fie mai lung; și poate cu mai mult focus pe viața oamenilor.... deși....nu-i deloc ăsta stilul cărții.... așa că.... chiar nu știu ce mi-a picat prost...

[Hugolane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keith Hitchins is the foremost Western-born expert on Romania, and this book provides an excellent overview for the curious. As I've noted elsewhere my expertise lies elsewhere, but reading this I have a much clearer understanding about how Romania's experience of Ottoman rule differed with areas further south, as well as Romania's path to modernity starting in the 19th Century. Hitchins is very good on the cultural aspect of Romanian history, but he writes clearly about the politics and the complexities from the earliest times to the post-Communist era.

[Aurel Mihai · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reasonable overview of Romania history, but really almost too lacking in detail to be really useful. This is particularly true when discussing events of the region before the 19th century or so though it can be argued that Romania as a country did not exist before that and that anyone wanting more detail about the region before the country existed as such should be looking elsewhere. Still, good and concise, as the title indicates.

[Felix Denegri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente reseña

Una breve historia de Rumania, que permite hacer un recorrido por las diversas etapas de su desarrollo cultural, político y económico, en forma tal que se tiene una clara idea de un país que no es tan conocido, pero sumamente interesante por encontrarse en la encrucijada del mundo ortodoxo, católico y musulmán.

[Dando Cingoloni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il migliore della collana che ho letto per adesso.
Molto stimolante l'idea di percorrere l'intera storia della Romania seguendo il filo rosso del contrasto fra Occidentale e Oriente. Interessante l'attenzione posta sulle correnti di pensiero e la storia della storiografia rumena. Forse un po' troppo prolisso sulle correnti letterarie.

[Filip Iuliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keith Hitchins ne prezina istoria romanilor intr-un mod simplu dar totusi complex. Citind aceasta carte am inceput sa iubesc tot ce tine de istorie datorita modului in care autorul a reusit sa transpuna toate evenimetele istorice.

[Raluca · Rating 4 out of 5]

O trecere succinta prin istoria si cultura poporului, un bun punct de plecare pentru cine vrea sa isi faca o idee cronologica asupra evenimentelor si circumstantelor care au dus la realitatea de astazi

[Ryan Ard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the concise history and the format it was in. It’s hard to fit 2000+ years of history in 300 pages but I thought the author did an excellent job in summarizing everything. I know have a better understanding of Romanian culture and geography.

[Gheorghe Cazacu · Rating 5 out of 5]

O lucrare buna. Recomand studenților la istorie și celor pasionați de istoria României să parcurgă această lucrare precum și celelalte cărți ale lui Keith Hitchins

[Jitariu Catalin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book (for a history of a country) that highlights some key turning points in our country's history.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An unremarkable but serviceable introduction to Romanian history and politics.

[Andrei Burlica · Rating 3 out of 5]

ceausescu dies

[Alexiiis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben fattooo

[Mihnea Călin · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte esențială pentru înțelegerea într-o oarecare aprofunzime a istoriei noastre. Recomand cu mare încredere această carte pentru persoanele care vor să perceapă mai de aproape istoria României.

[Rakesh Krishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well explanation from Dacian Age to the downfall of Marxism that slowed down country's progress.