Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality rates in Eastern European countries are among t... more Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality rates in Eastern European countries are among the highest in the world. Although unhealthy diet is an important risk factor for both of these chronic diseases, traditional eating habits and their health effects in this region have not yet been explored. This analysis assessed the relationship between traditional dietary pattern and mortality from all-causes, CVD and cancer in Eastern European population-based cohorts.
What did peasants discuss at party meetings? Were they mobilized by ethnic politics or indifferen... more What did peasants discuss at party meetings? Were they mobilized by ethnic politics or indifferent to them altogether? The end of the First World War brought about universal male suffrage in much of Europe, and with it the process of mass politics began. The concept of national indifference is important in understanding interwar politics, because this period is often studied teleologically with attention focused on extremism and nationalism as the primary mobilizing issue
Agrarian movements have been under-researched, and when Agrarians have been studied, it has been through the prism of elite politics. This comparative paper seeks to redress this omission by looking at grassroots rural politics. The interwar countryside was marked by profound political, economic and social transformation but also in terms of what Robert Paxton has described as the ‘triple crisis of the countryside’ – worsening economic conditions, the declining status of the countryside and inadequate political representation. The paper will explore how reform and crisis impacted how agrarian politics functioned at a local level by asymmetrically comparing cases from Romania, Poland and Ireland, with the final case helping to contextualize Eastern Europe within the wider European experience This paper argues that the rural population was mobilized, but primarily in the context of local issues rather than national ethno-political questions. Local party organization was, to paraphrase James C Scott, the site ‘of an exchange of small arms fire’ in rural class conflict, as questions regarding the control of public space, generational conflict and power within the village mobilized peasants. Thus, I argue that it was the underlying socio-economic issues that mobilized the rural population, not nationalism. The dynamics of these conflicts were shaped by local economic, political and social power dynamics, and by using indifference as a concept, we can look more deeply at interwar politics from a grassroots perspective and develop a more nuanced understanding of local, national and European politics.
Highlights
• Ruling pro-European parties and long-established Communist Party lost significantl... more Highlights
• Ruling pro-European parties and long-established Communist Party lost significantly. • Moldova's Socialist Party were the biggest winner. • The elections concern more than ethnic and geopolitical cleavages. • Endemic corruption is harming established parties' reputation and electability. • Moldova's elections demonstrate continued electoral and institutional volatility.
Drawing on the work of Maurice Duverger, this paper explores the dynamics of dual systems in the ... more Drawing on the work of Maurice Duverger, this paper explores the dynamics of dual systems in the post-communist world by focusing on Romania. Unlike in states such as Poland and Russia, where conflicts between the president and the parliament were resolved relatively early in the transition period, conflict appears to have only recently emerged in Romania. This paper argues that the capacity for such conflict has existed since 1989 due to the nature of Romania’s exit from communism and its subsequent transition, which shaped and institutionalised the specific forms of Romanian political culture and its party system. However, actual conflict has emerged only because of recent, externally generated changes in the party system, and the relative decline in the electoral power of the Social Democratic Party. Two attempts by President Băsescu’s opponents to remove him from office, along with increasing constitutional manipulation by all actors, call into question the consolidation of democracy in Romania. That actors have shown a willingness to gain power or remove their opponents by any means necessary, including the use of undemocratic methods, rather than by establishing a broad popular base to achieve these ends reflects the structural problems of the Romanian party system.
... The volume starts with an analysis by Julia Mannherz of social conflict in late imperial Russ... more ... The volume starts with an analysis by Julia Mannherz of social conflict in late imperial Russia and moves on to Sergei Zhuk's discussion of the Stundist movement in ... We would also like to thank our academic advisor Professor Alena Ledeneva for her support and guidance. ...
Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality rates in Eastern European countries ... more Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality rates in Eastern European countries are among the highest in the world. Although unhealthy diet is an important risk factor for both of these chronic diseases, traditional eating habits and their health effects in this region have not yet been explored. This analysis assessed the relationship between traditional dietary pattern and mortality from all-causes, CVD and cancer in Eastern European population-based cohorts. Methods We used data from the Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors in Eastern Europe (HAPIEE) multi-centre prospective cohort study based in Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic (age range at baseline: 45-70 years). Diet was assessed by food frequency questionnaire, and we constructed an Eastern European diet score (EEDS) from nine food groups considered as “traditional” in this region. The relationship between EEDS and all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality was calculated with Cox-regression models. Result...
Romania has experienced large anti-government protests on multiple occasions in the last few year... more Romania has experienced large anti-government protests on multiple occasions in the last few years, most recently in August this year. Yet as Daniel Brett explains, the achievements of these protests have been modest and short-lived, with the country's ruling Social Democratic Party still maintaining power. He highlights that while the protesters and opposition parties may be united in their opposition to corruption, they have radically different views on social and economic issues, hampering their ability to change the direction of Romanian politics.
The Moldovan elections were seen as a vote for either Russia or Europe. The sudden support for th... more The Moldovan elections were seen as a vote for either Russia or Europe. The sudden support for the Moldovan Socialist party in the election was seen as evidence of a 'turn to Russia'. In this paper we argue that nationalism and ethnicity are among the least important factors influencing voters. We argue that corruption and poverty are more important issues.
We look at the nature of the Moldovan electoral and party system, patterns of support and argue that the election was much more than Europe or Russia.
Politics and Peasants in Interwar Romania: Perceptions, Mentalities, Propaganda, 2017
With political science as its starting point, this paper uses theoretical frameworks developed by... more With political science as its starting point, this paper uses theoretical frameworks developed by Maurice Duverger and Angelo Panebianco and takes a synoptic overview of agrarianism to deconstruct PNŢ as a political organization. It argues that internal division, which had its roots in ideological conflict around the place of the peasantry in society, prevented organizational reform of the party. The failure to reform in turn denied the peasantry active agency within the party and hence hampered the effectiveness of the party in representing peasant interests. This paper argues that PNŢ was not exceptional in suffering from these problems by comparing and contrasting it with examples from Ireland (Clann na Talmhan – Children of the Land / National Agricultural Party), Poland (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe -Polish Peasants Party) and Sweden (Centerpartiet – Centre Party). It argues that the post-1918 period needs to be contextualised by a deeper analysis of founding moments and decisions made the early developmental stages of the parties. Doing so will deepen our understanding of peasant politics in Romania but also situate the Romanian case within the wider family of rural/agrarian parties that were emerging across Europe during this period.
Review of Rural protest groups and populist political parties edited by Dirk Strijker, Gerrit Voe... more Review of Rural protest groups and populist political parties edited by Dirk Strijker, Gerrit Voerman and Ida Terluin
Review of 'The Collectivization of Agriculture in Communist Eastern Europe: Comparison and Entang... more Review of 'The Collectivization of Agriculture in Communist Eastern Europe: Comparison and Entanglements.' Editors Constantin Iordachi and Arnd Bauerkämper. Budapest, New York, CEU Press, 2014
Contents
Mysterious knocks, flying potatoes and rebellious servants: Spiritualism and social c... more Contents
Mysterious knocks, flying potatoes and rebellious servants: Spiritualism and social conflict in late imperial Russia
Julia Mannherz
The Ukrainian Stundists and Russian Jews: a collaboration of evangelical peasants with Jewish intellectuals in late imperial Russia
Sergei Zhuk
“Forebears”, “saints” and “martyrs”: the politics of commemoration in Bulgaria in the 1880s and 1890s
Stefan Detchev
Celebrating the nation: the case of Upper Silesia after the plebiscite in 1921
Andrzej Michalczyk
Three states, one common past: chance or malediction? The role of history and historiography for the formation of collective identities and mutual relations in
Belarus, Lithuania and Poland
Rüdiger Ritter
The Bulgarian monarchy: a politically motivated revision of a historical image in a post -socialist transitional society
Markus Wien
Emerging institutional order? National Investment Funds in Poland
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality rates in Eastern European countries are among t... more Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality rates in Eastern European countries are among the highest in the world. Although unhealthy diet is an important risk factor for both of these chronic diseases, traditional eating habits and their health effects in this region have not yet been explored. This analysis assessed the relationship between traditional dietary pattern and mortality from all-causes, CVD and cancer in Eastern European population-based cohorts.
What did peasants discuss at party meetings? Were they mobilized by ethnic politics or indifferen... more What did peasants discuss at party meetings? Were they mobilized by ethnic politics or indifferent to them altogether? The end of the First World War brought about universal male suffrage in much of Europe, and with it the process of mass politics began. The concept of national indifference is important in understanding interwar politics, because this period is often studied teleologically with attention focused on extremism and nationalism as the primary mobilizing issue
Agrarian movements have been under-researched, and when Agrarians have been studied, it has been through the prism of elite politics. This comparative paper seeks to redress this omission by looking at grassroots rural politics. The interwar countryside was marked by profound political, economic and social transformation but also in terms of what Robert Paxton has described as the ‘triple crisis of the countryside’ – worsening economic conditions, the declining status of the countryside and inadequate political representation. The paper will explore how reform and crisis impacted how agrarian politics functioned at a local level by asymmetrically comparing cases from Romania, Poland and Ireland, with the final case helping to contextualize Eastern Europe within the wider European experience This paper argues that the rural population was mobilized, but primarily in the context of local issues rather than national ethno-political questions. Local party organization was, to paraphrase James C Scott, the site ‘of an exchange of small arms fire’ in rural class conflict, as questions regarding the control of public space, generational conflict and power within the village mobilized peasants. Thus, I argue that it was the underlying socio-economic issues that mobilized the rural population, not nationalism. The dynamics of these conflicts were shaped by local economic, political and social power dynamics, and by using indifference as a concept, we can look more deeply at interwar politics from a grassroots perspective and develop a more nuanced understanding of local, national and European politics.
Highlights
• Ruling pro-European parties and long-established Communist Party lost significantl... more Highlights
• Ruling pro-European parties and long-established Communist Party lost significantly. • Moldova's Socialist Party were the biggest winner. • The elections concern more than ethnic and geopolitical cleavages. • Endemic corruption is harming established parties' reputation and electability. • Moldova's elections demonstrate continued electoral and institutional volatility.
Drawing on the work of Maurice Duverger, this paper explores the dynamics of dual systems in the ... more Drawing on the work of Maurice Duverger, this paper explores the dynamics of dual systems in the post-communist world by focusing on Romania. Unlike in states such as Poland and Russia, where conflicts between the president and the parliament were resolved relatively early in the transition period, conflict appears to have only recently emerged in Romania. This paper argues that the capacity for such conflict has existed since 1989 due to the nature of Romania’s exit from communism and its subsequent transition, which shaped and institutionalised the specific forms of Romanian political culture and its party system. However, actual conflict has emerged only because of recent, externally generated changes in the party system, and the relative decline in the electoral power of the Social Democratic Party. Two attempts by President Băsescu’s opponents to remove him from office, along with increasing constitutional manipulation by all actors, call into question the consolidation of democracy in Romania. That actors have shown a willingness to gain power or remove their opponents by any means necessary, including the use of undemocratic methods, rather than by establishing a broad popular base to achieve these ends reflects the structural problems of the Romanian party system.
... The volume starts with an analysis by Julia Mannherz of social conflict in late imperial Russ... more ... The volume starts with an analysis by Julia Mannherz of social conflict in late imperial Russia and moves on to Sergei Zhuk's discussion of the Stundist movement in ... We would also like to thank our academic advisor Professor Alena Ledeneva for her support and guidance. ...
Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality rates in Eastern European countries ... more Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer mortality rates in Eastern European countries are among the highest in the world. Although unhealthy diet is an important risk factor for both of these chronic diseases, traditional eating habits and their health effects in this region have not yet been explored. This analysis assessed the relationship between traditional dietary pattern and mortality from all-causes, CVD and cancer in Eastern European population-based cohorts. Methods We used data from the Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial factors in Eastern Europe (HAPIEE) multi-centre prospective cohort study based in Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic (age range at baseline: 45-70 years). Diet was assessed by food frequency questionnaire, and we constructed an Eastern European diet score (EEDS) from nine food groups considered as “traditional” in this region. The relationship between EEDS and all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality was calculated with Cox-regression models. Result...
Romania has experienced large anti-government protests on multiple occasions in the last few year... more Romania has experienced large anti-government protests on multiple occasions in the last few years, most recently in August this year. Yet as Daniel Brett explains, the achievements of these protests have been modest and short-lived, with the country's ruling Social Democratic Party still maintaining power. He highlights that while the protesters and opposition parties may be united in their opposition to corruption, they have radically different views on social and economic issues, hampering their ability to change the direction of Romanian politics.
The Moldovan elections were seen as a vote for either Russia or Europe. The sudden support for th... more The Moldovan elections were seen as a vote for either Russia or Europe. The sudden support for the Moldovan Socialist party in the election was seen as evidence of a 'turn to Russia'. In this paper we argue that nationalism and ethnicity are among the least important factors influencing voters. We argue that corruption and poverty are more important issues.
We look at the nature of the Moldovan electoral and party system, patterns of support and argue that the election was much more than Europe or Russia.
Politics and Peasants in Interwar Romania: Perceptions, Mentalities, Propaganda, 2017
With political science as its starting point, this paper uses theoretical frameworks developed by... more With political science as its starting point, this paper uses theoretical frameworks developed by Maurice Duverger and Angelo Panebianco and takes a synoptic overview of agrarianism to deconstruct PNŢ as a political organization. It argues that internal division, which had its roots in ideological conflict around the place of the peasantry in society, prevented organizational reform of the party. The failure to reform in turn denied the peasantry active agency within the party and hence hampered the effectiveness of the party in representing peasant interests. This paper argues that PNŢ was not exceptional in suffering from these problems by comparing and contrasting it with examples from Ireland (Clann na Talmhan – Children of the Land / National Agricultural Party), Poland (Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe -Polish Peasants Party) and Sweden (Centerpartiet – Centre Party). It argues that the post-1918 period needs to be contextualised by a deeper analysis of founding moments and decisions made the early developmental stages of the parties. Doing so will deepen our understanding of peasant politics in Romania but also situate the Romanian case within the wider family of rural/agrarian parties that were emerging across Europe during this period.
Review of Rural protest groups and populist political parties edited by Dirk Strijker, Gerrit Voe... more Review of Rural protest groups and populist political parties edited by Dirk Strijker, Gerrit Voerman and Ida Terluin
Review of 'The Collectivization of Agriculture in Communist Eastern Europe: Comparison and Entang... more Review of 'The Collectivization of Agriculture in Communist Eastern Europe: Comparison and Entanglements.' Editors Constantin Iordachi and Arnd Bauerkämper. Budapest, New York, CEU Press, 2014
Contents
Mysterious knocks, flying potatoes and rebellious servants: Spiritualism and social c... more Contents
Mysterious knocks, flying potatoes and rebellious servants: Spiritualism and social conflict in late imperial Russia
Julia Mannherz
The Ukrainian Stundists and Russian Jews: a collaboration of evangelical peasants with Jewish intellectuals in late imperial Russia
Sergei Zhuk
“Forebears”, “saints” and “martyrs”: the politics of commemoration in Bulgaria in the 1880s and 1890s
Stefan Detchev
Celebrating the nation: the case of Upper Silesia after the plebiscite in 1921
Andrzej Michalczyk
Three states, one common past: chance or malediction? The role of history and historiography for the formation of collective identities and mutual relations in
Belarus, Lithuania and Poland
Rüdiger Ritter
The Bulgarian monarchy: a politically motivated revision of a historical image in a post -socialist transitional society
Markus Wien
Emerging institutional order? National Investment Funds in Poland
A discussion of the results of the Romanian presidential elections and potential future developme... more A discussion of the results of the Romanian presidential elections and potential future developments.
EUROPP Blog - European Politics and Policy, Feb 2, 2017
Romania has witnessed large anti-government protests over a proposed amnesty for prisoners which ... more Romania has witnessed large anti-government protests over a proposed amnesty for prisoners which has the potential to free several officials currently in jail for corruption. The background, explaining that attacks on Romania’s anti-corruption efforts have been threefold, coming through the legislative process, through a domestic campaign against the anti-corruption directorate (DNA) and its chief prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi, and via criticism of the DNA outside of Romania.
The Moldovan presidential election, which took place on 13 November, was framed as a straight cho... more The Moldovan presidential election, which took place on 13 November, was framed as a straight choice between pro-Russian and pro-European candidates. The subsequent victory of Igor Dodon has been viewed as marking the end of Moldova's Europeanisation and a potential return to Moscow's sphere of influence, some seven years after the 'Twitter Revolution' that brought down the Moldovan communists. Dan Brett looks at why Dodon won, how he won, and the potential consequences of his victory for the country. Igor Dodon's narrow victory in Moldova's presidential election has been portrayed by some commentators as the country returning to Russia's sphere of influence and the end of its democratisation efforts. But why did voters really choose to support Dodon over his rival Maia Sandu and what does Dodon's victory mean for future developments in Moldova? Moldovan politics is often seen through the prism of geo and ethno-politics, but this does not tell the full story. Dodon's victory can be seen as a return of the 'Old Guard' and a reflection of the failure of the political elite tasked with moving Moldova forward after the revolution. The events of 2009, when the so called 'Twitter Revolution' erupted against the then Communist government, did not usher in a new era of politics, but rather a battle for control between Moldova's two main oligarchs, Vlad Filat and Vlad Plahotniuc, each with their own parties supporting them. The theft of one billion dollars from Moldovan banks led to the fall of the fragile 'pro-European' coalition and to the jailing of Filat, although many viewed him as the fall-guy and instead point the finger at Plahotniuc.
A tragic accident at a Bucharest nightclub resulted in 32 people losing their lives and triggered... more A tragic accident at a Bucharest nightclub resulted in 32 people losing their lives and triggered a series of events that culminated in the resignation of Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on 4 November. Ponta was already under significant pressure to quit following corruption allegations, but had resisted handing in his resignation until now. Why this change of heart? A comprehensive analysis of the situation and points out that, for Ponta, resigning over an accident he could not be blamed for was the easiest way out. Despite Ponta’s resignation, widespread anger at perceived political corruption has ensured protests have continued on the streets of Romanian towns and cities, with even the country’s popular President Klaus Iohannis potentially in the firing line.
A recent anti-corruption spree, led by public prosecutor Laura Kövesi, has taken Romanian politic... more A recent anti-corruption spree, led by public prosecutor Laura Kövesi, has taken Romanian political elite by ‘earthquake’. This article discusses the multifaceted roots of the country’s corrupt practices: “If there is a historical legacy, it comes from the Communist period and the absence of a political rupture in 1989 meant that its networks remained unbroken”. Nevertheless, today’s indicted politicians were just teenagers when Communism ended. Is history really to blame?
The fall of Victor Ponta’s PSD government in November 2015 was supposed to usher in a new era of ... more The fall of Victor Ponta’s PSD government in November 2015 was supposed to usher in a new era of politics for Romania. However, local elections held on 5 June resulted in victories for the PSD across the country, including in Bucharest, with several politicians who are either under investigation, or even (in one case) currently in jail, being elected. How and why did the ‘old guard’ did so well in the vote and what do the results tell us about politics and corruption issues in Romania?
Thousands of people have taken part in a series of protests in Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, with ... more Thousands of people have taken part in a series of protests in Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, with protesters demanding the government’s resignation and early elections over a $1 billion bank fraud case. Daniel Brett, Ellie Knott and Mihai Popșoi outline why the protests are taking place, who the protesters are, and the likely impact on Moldovan politics. They write that while early elections may be the only option to reset the country’s politics, there are no certainties over what the long-term consequences will be for Moldova moving forward.
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has been charged with corruption, following a long-running i... more Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has been charged with corruption, following a long-running investigation. This blog discusses the likely consequences of the charges, with Ponta resigning from the leadership of his governing Social Democratic Party (PSD), but refusing to vacate the office of Prime Minister. It argues that the early signs are the PSD intend to use the scandal to attempt to undermine wider anti-corruption efforts.
The latest corruption scandal in Romania has brought charges against Prime Minister Victor Ponta.... more The latest corruption scandal in Romania has brought charges against Prime Minister Victor Ponta. Despite calls from President Klaus Iohannis for Ponta to resign, Ponta is so far refusing to go, claiming that the case will be “meticulously dismantled … through clear proof and certified documents”. The scandal threatens to produce another summer of political conflict and polarisation with attention focussed on corruption and internecine political battles rather than economic, social and international issues.
The most shocking result of the Moldovan elections has been the rise of the Socialist Party, clos... more The most shocking result of the Moldovan elections has been the rise of the Socialist Party, closely associated with Russia. “It would be incorrect to see them as Russian stooges, opportunists, or as old faces under a new banner. Instead, their support has come from those concerned about corruption, poverty, Europeanisation and a growing dissatisfaction with Moldova’s Communist Party’s leadership”, argue Daniel Brett and Eleanor Knott.
The outcome of the Romanian presidential elections has been nothing short of surprising: underdog... more The outcome of the Romanian presidential elections has been nothing short of surprising: underdog candidate Klaus Iohannis beat the incumbent prime minister and favourite, Victor Ponta, with a very convincing result. Daniel Brett and Eleanor Knott take us through the whole story and get ready to discuss Where does Romania go from here at our event on 1 December.
Television interview with Ukraine's Inter Channel station on the result of the 2015 British elect... more Television interview with Ukraine's Inter Channel station on the result of the 2015 British elections.
* KLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE
All talks from our conference (Ljubljana, April 2017) * Organizers: Ta... more * KLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE
All talks from our conference (Ljubljana, April 2017) * Organizers: Tamara Scheer, Rok Stergar, Kaja Sirok, Marko Zajc *
Contributions:
Stefan Donecker: Identity and Identification in Premodernity: The State of the Debate 35 years after John Armstrong’ s Nations before Nationalism
Ümit Eser: Before Becoming Bulgarians: Pre-National Identities of the Orthodox Christian Communities in Eastern Rumelia, 1878-1908
Jernej Kosi: When the Slovenes Encountered the Slovenes: Ethnic Boundaries and the Process of Nationalisation in Prekmurje after the Dissolution of Austria-Hungary
Daniel Heler: Ethno-Genesis of Gorani People and ‘Deviant’ Contemporary Histories of Kosovo
Before the Nations, Beyond the Nations - Panel 1 Discussion
Tamara Scheer / John Paul Newman: Donations Requested: The Imperial, National, and Transnational Identities of The Ban Jelačić Association for Disabled Veterans and their Families in Vienna and Zagreb
Robert Shields Mevissen: Identification in the Danube Empire: Shaping Riverine Transformations in the Late Habsburg State
Igor Vranić: Political Patriotism in the Late Habsburg Empire: The Case of Izidor Kršnjavi
Imperial, National, Non-National - Panel 2 Discussion
Karin Almasy: Postcarding Identities in Lower Styria (1890–1920): The Linguistic and Visual Portrayal of Identities on Picture Postcards
Susanne Korbel: Staging Similarities, Staging Differences: (Jewish) Volkssänger and Their Performance of Habsburg Identities
Clemens Ruthner: Colonial Habsburg: The Bosnian Foreigner in Literary Texts of Imperial Austria, ca 1900
Anita Buhin: “Naše malo misto” (Our Small Town): Yugoslav Mediterranean Dream
Defining, Performing, and Staging Identities - Panel 3 discussion
Pieter M. Judson: People and their Categories: Creating Difference from Below and from Above in the Context of Empire
Daniel Brett: It’ s Not About the Nation or Ethnicity: Identity, Politics, and Society in the Romanian and Irish Countryside 1900-1947
Ivan Jeličić: The Typographers’ Community of Fiume: Between Spirit of Category, Class Identity, Local Patriotism, Socialism, and Nationalism(s)
Martin Jemelka / Jakub Štofaník: Being Modern Christian and Worker in the Czechoslovak National State 1918-1938
Peasants, Professionals, Workers - Panel 4 discussion
Marta Verginella / Irena Selišnik: The First Publicly Active Slovene Women on the Intersection of National Identities and Multinational Space
Martina Salvante: Renegotiating Identity: Disabled Veterans in Trentino and South Tyrol
Marco Bresciani: Country for Nationalists? State- and Nation-Building in Post-Habsburg Interwar Istria
Identities in Transition - Panel 5 discussion
Etienne Boisserie: Family Networks and “Generation Key” in the Renewed Approaches of Social Questioning of the Slovak Elite at the Beginning of the 20th Century
Nikola Tomašegović: Statistical Nation-Building in Civil Croatia and Slavonia during the Second Half of 19th Century
Filip Tomić: Serbs in Croatia and Slavonia 1908 – 1914: The Contested Construction of an Ethnic Category, Conditions of its Deployment and the Issue of Its Reception
Luka Lisjak: “Changing the Nation’s Character”: The Slovenian Tradition of Critical National Characterology and Its Role in the Intellectual Definitions of National Identity in the 20th Century
Panel 6 discussion
Tomasz Kamusella: Concluding remarks
The present thesis examines the relationship between the Romanian peasantry as a social group and... more The present thesis examines the relationship between the Romanian peasantry as a social group and their political representatives in the period between 1918 and 1947. As such it seeks to explain the implications of socio-economic changes within rural society upon the political effectiveness of the Romanian National Peasant Party (PNŢ) and covers an important blind spot in English- and Romanian-language historiography, which concentrates almost exclusively on high-level politics.
Traditional historiography and political science on Romania, and Eastern Europe in general, look upon the period at the end of the Second World War as a break with ‘normal politics’. This thesis concentrates on the Romanian case and argues that in fact the post-1944 period represents the culmination of longer-term political, social and economic processes, all of which severely hampered the ability of PNŢ to oppose the Communists. While not seeking to present a counterfactual narrative, the thesis provides a more nuanced analysis of Romanian politics as well as a contextualization of it within Eastern European Agrarian politics. To this purpose, the thesis uses an interdisciplinary methodology drawing upon political science and sociology. It looks into the development of grass roots politics and the interaction of the local-level (village) politics with elite/national politics in a society undergoing rapid socio-economic transformation. Drawing upon two new archival holdings which provide unprecedented, albeit limited, insights into the internal workings of PNŢ, the thesis emphasizes the role of PNŢ as a political institution and of its organization structures and seeks to account for the party’s failure to undergo any structural reform. It concentrates upon issues of agency, representation and mobilization and proposes an explanation (which archival material that may surface in the future will, I believe, corroborate) as to why the relationship between the social group and their political representatives broke down and what implications this had for the success of the party.
To advance the analysis, I have made the methodological choice of comparing and contrasting the development of Agrarian politics in Romania with that of Poland. Although by no means taking centre stage in the context of the present thesis, the Polish case, however, discharges a dual function: 1) it is used as a mise en scène, providing a wider context for developments in Romanian politics and thus helping avoid the problem of ‘exceptionalism’; 2) it represents a cognate case whereby gaps currently existing in Romanian historiography can be compensated for by analogy with similar historical and political developments in Poland.
On a more general note, this thesis seeks to move beyond traditional explanations as to why PNŢ was unsuccessful in achieving their stated political goals during the interwar and post-war periods. This is achieved by looking at the institutional underpinning of the party and the interaction between their political organization and the social class they represented.
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Agrarian movements have been under-researched, and when Agrarians have been studied, it has been through the prism of elite politics. This comparative paper seeks to redress this omission by looking at grassroots rural politics. The interwar countryside was marked by profound political, economic and social transformation but also in terms of what Robert Paxton has described as the ‘triple crisis of the countryside’ – worsening economic conditions, the declining status of the countryside and inadequate political representation. The paper will explore how reform and crisis impacted how agrarian politics functioned at a local level by asymmetrically comparing cases from Romania, Poland and Ireland, with the final case helping to contextualize Eastern Europe within the wider European experience This paper argues that the rural population was mobilized, but primarily in the context of local issues rather than national ethno-political questions. Local party organization was, to paraphrase James C Scott, the site ‘of an exchange of small arms fire’ in rural class conflict, as questions regarding the control of public space, generational conflict and power within the village mobilized peasants. Thus, I argue that it was the underlying socio-economic issues that mobilized the rural population, not nationalism. The dynamics of these conflicts were shaped by local economic, political and social power dynamics, and by using indifference as a concept, we can look more deeply at interwar politics from a grassroots perspective and develop a more nuanced understanding of local, national and European politics.
• Ruling pro-European parties and long-established Communist Party lost significantly.
• Moldova's Socialist Party were the biggest winner.
• The elections concern more than ethnic and geopolitical cleavages.
• Endemic corruption is harming established parties' reputation and electability.
• Moldova's elections demonstrate continued electoral and institutional volatility.
We look at the nature of the Moldovan electoral and party system, patterns of support and argue that the election was much more than Europe or Russia.
Mysterious knocks, flying potatoes and rebellious servants: Spiritualism and social conflict in late imperial Russia
Julia Mannherz
The Ukrainian Stundists and Russian Jews: a collaboration of evangelical peasants with Jewish intellectuals in late imperial Russia
Sergei Zhuk
“Forebears”, “saints” and “martyrs”: the politics of commemoration in Bulgaria in the 1880s and 1890s
Stefan Detchev
Celebrating the nation: the case of Upper Silesia after the plebiscite in 1921
Andrzej Michalczyk
Three states, one common past: chance or malediction? The role of history and historiography for the formation of collective identities and mutual relations in
Belarus, Lithuania and Poland
Rüdiger Ritter
The Bulgarian monarchy: a politically motivated revision of a historical image in a post -socialist transitional society
Markus Wien
Emerging institutional order? National Investment Funds in Poland
Maria Aluchna
Agrarian movements have been under-researched, and when Agrarians have been studied, it has been through the prism of elite politics. This comparative paper seeks to redress this omission by looking at grassroots rural politics. The interwar countryside was marked by profound political, economic and social transformation but also in terms of what Robert Paxton has described as the ‘triple crisis of the countryside’ – worsening economic conditions, the declining status of the countryside and inadequate political representation. The paper will explore how reform and crisis impacted how agrarian politics functioned at a local level by asymmetrically comparing cases from Romania, Poland and Ireland, with the final case helping to contextualize Eastern Europe within the wider European experience This paper argues that the rural population was mobilized, but primarily in the context of local issues rather than national ethno-political questions. Local party organization was, to paraphrase James C Scott, the site ‘of an exchange of small arms fire’ in rural class conflict, as questions regarding the control of public space, generational conflict and power within the village mobilized peasants. Thus, I argue that it was the underlying socio-economic issues that mobilized the rural population, not nationalism. The dynamics of these conflicts were shaped by local economic, political and social power dynamics, and by using indifference as a concept, we can look more deeply at interwar politics from a grassroots perspective and develop a more nuanced understanding of local, national and European politics.
• Ruling pro-European parties and long-established Communist Party lost significantly.
• Moldova's Socialist Party were the biggest winner.
• The elections concern more than ethnic and geopolitical cleavages.
• Endemic corruption is harming established parties' reputation and electability.
• Moldova's elections demonstrate continued electoral and institutional volatility.
We look at the nature of the Moldovan electoral and party system, patterns of support and argue that the election was much more than Europe or Russia.
Mysterious knocks, flying potatoes and rebellious servants: Spiritualism and social conflict in late imperial Russia
Julia Mannherz
The Ukrainian Stundists and Russian Jews: a collaboration of evangelical peasants with Jewish intellectuals in late imperial Russia
Sergei Zhuk
“Forebears”, “saints” and “martyrs”: the politics of commemoration in Bulgaria in the 1880s and 1890s
Stefan Detchev
Celebrating the nation: the case of Upper Silesia after the plebiscite in 1921
Andrzej Michalczyk
Three states, one common past: chance or malediction? The role of history and historiography for the formation of collective identities and mutual relations in
Belarus, Lithuania and Poland
Rüdiger Ritter
The Bulgarian monarchy: a politically motivated revision of a historical image in a post -socialist transitional society
Markus Wien
Emerging institutional order? National Investment Funds in Poland
Maria Aluchna
full version here - http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2015/11/05/romanias-politics-on-fire-why-victor-ponta-resigned-and-what-it-means-for-the-country/
Filmed 8th May 2015.
All talks from our conference (Ljubljana, April 2017) * Organizers: Tamara Scheer, Rok Stergar, Kaja Sirok, Marko Zajc *
Contributions:
Stefan Donecker: Identity and Identification in Premodernity: The State of the Debate 35 years after John Armstrong’ s Nations before Nationalism
Ümit Eser: Before Becoming Bulgarians: Pre-National Identities of the Orthodox Christian Communities in Eastern Rumelia, 1878-1908
Jernej Kosi: When the Slovenes Encountered the Slovenes: Ethnic Boundaries and the Process of Nationalisation in Prekmurje after the Dissolution of Austria-Hungary
Daniel Heler: Ethno-Genesis of Gorani People and ‘Deviant’ Contemporary Histories of Kosovo
Before the Nations, Beyond the Nations - Panel 1 Discussion
Tamara Scheer / John Paul Newman: Donations Requested: The Imperial, National, and Transnational Identities of The Ban Jelačić Association for Disabled Veterans and their Families in Vienna and Zagreb
Robert Shields Mevissen: Identification in the Danube Empire: Shaping Riverine Transformations in the Late Habsburg State
Igor Vranić: Political Patriotism in the Late Habsburg Empire: The Case of Izidor Kršnjavi
Imperial, National, Non-National - Panel 2 Discussion
Karin Almasy: Postcarding Identities in Lower Styria (1890–1920): The Linguistic and Visual Portrayal of Identities on Picture Postcards
Susanne Korbel: Staging Similarities, Staging Differences: (Jewish) Volkssänger and Their Performance of Habsburg Identities
Clemens Ruthner: Colonial Habsburg: The Bosnian Foreigner in Literary Texts of Imperial Austria, ca 1900
Anita Buhin: “Naše malo misto” (Our Small Town): Yugoslav Mediterranean Dream
Defining, Performing, and Staging Identities - Panel 3 discussion
Pieter M. Judson: People and their Categories: Creating Difference from Below and from Above in the Context of Empire
Daniel Brett: It’ s Not About the Nation or Ethnicity: Identity, Politics, and Society in the Romanian and Irish Countryside 1900-1947
Ivan Jeličić: The Typographers’ Community of Fiume: Between Spirit of Category, Class Identity, Local Patriotism, Socialism, and Nationalism(s)
Martin Jemelka / Jakub Štofaník: Being Modern Christian and Worker in the Czechoslovak National State 1918-1938
Peasants, Professionals, Workers - Panel 4 discussion
Marta Verginella / Irena Selišnik: The First Publicly Active Slovene Women on the Intersection of National Identities and Multinational Space
Martina Salvante: Renegotiating Identity: Disabled Veterans in Trentino and South Tyrol
Marco Bresciani: Country for Nationalists? State- and Nation-Building in Post-Habsburg Interwar Istria
Identities in Transition - Panel 5 discussion
Etienne Boisserie: Family Networks and “Generation Key” in the Renewed Approaches of Social Questioning of the Slovak Elite at the Beginning of the 20th Century
Nikola Tomašegović: Statistical Nation-Building in Civil Croatia and Slavonia during the Second Half of 19th Century
Filip Tomić: Serbs in Croatia and Slavonia 1908 – 1914: The Contested Construction of an Ethnic Category, Conditions of its Deployment and the Issue of Its Reception
Luka Lisjak: “Changing the Nation’s Character”: The Slovenian Tradition of Critical National Characterology and Its Role in the Intellectual Definitions of National Identity in the 20th Century
Panel 6 discussion
Tomasz Kamusella: Concluding remarks
Traditional historiography and political science on Romania, and Eastern Europe in general, look upon the period at the end of the Second World War as a break with ‘normal politics’. This thesis concentrates on the Romanian case and argues that in fact the post-1944 period represents the culmination of longer-term political, social and economic processes, all of which severely hampered the ability of PNŢ to oppose the Communists. While not seeking to present a counterfactual narrative, the thesis provides a more nuanced analysis of Romanian politics as well as a contextualization of it within Eastern European Agrarian politics. To this purpose, the thesis uses an interdisciplinary methodology drawing upon political science and sociology. It looks into the development of grass roots politics and the interaction of the local-level (village) politics with elite/national politics in a society undergoing rapid socio-economic transformation. Drawing upon two new archival holdings which provide unprecedented, albeit limited, insights into the internal workings of PNŢ, the thesis emphasizes the role of PNŢ as a political institution and of its organization structures and seeks to account for the party’s failure to undergo any structural reform. It concentrates upon issues of agency, representation and mobilization and proposes an explanation (which archival material that may surface in the future will, I believe, corroborate) as to why the relationship between the social group and their political representatives broke down and what implications this had for the success of the party.
To advance the analysis, I have made the methodological choice of comparing and contrasting the development of Agrarian politics in Romania with that of Poland. Although by no means taking centre stage in the context of the present thesis, the Polish case, however, discharges a dual function: 1) it is used as a mise en scène, providing a wider context for developments in Romanian politics and thus helping avoid the problem of ‘exceptionalism’; 2) it represents a cognate case whereby gaps currently existing in Romanian historiography can be compensated for by analogy with similar historical and political developments in Poland.
On a more general note, this thesis seeks to move beyond traditional explanations as to why PNŢ was unsuccessful in achieving their stated political goals during the interwar and post-war periods. This is achieved by looking at the institutional underpinning of the party and the interaction between their political organization and the social class they represented.