Escamotări și atitudini antimonarhice la Alba Iulia la începutul perioadei interbelice
Retractions and Anti-Monarchist Attitudes in Alba Iulia at the Beginning of the Interwar Period

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the manifestations of anti-monarchist sentiment in Alba Iulia and Alba County during the early interwar period. Although Alba Iulia was a relatively small town in Transylvania at the time, it held considerable symbolic significance due to its role as the site of the Great National Assembly on December 1, 1918. At this historic gathering, representatives of the Transylvanian population proclaimed the union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania. But the official celebration of this event gained prominence only later in the interwar years. The study identifies the most coherent and vocal expressions of anti-monarchist discourse in the region as originating primarily from socialist and communist activists, notably Anton Banciu and Dumitru Ciumbrudean. Despite their initial radicalism, both figures later sought to reinterpret or downplay the nature of their involvement—likely due to the politically sensitive and socially compromising circumstances surrounding their actions, which were reportedly influenced by episodes of excessive alcohol consumption. In contrast to the dominant historiographical focus on institutional developments and national political elites, this article shifts attention to the attitudes and experiences of ordinary citizens and local political actors. This approach offers a more nuanced understanding of the socio-political landscape of interwar Romania by illuminating the complex interplay of social, cultural, political, and ethnic factors that shaped public consciousness in the aftermath of unification of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania.

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