Teleological History and the Romanian Past: Just Say “No!”
Teleological History and the Romanian Past: Just Say “No!”

Summary/Abstract: Many writers have taken a teleological approach to the unification of the Romanian lands (Transylvania, Moldova, Muntenia, Basarabia, and Bucovina) in 1918, describing it as an inevitable working out of historical development or as a kind of “historical necessity.” Apart from the fact that teleology and inevitability lack validity in historiographical discourse, such an interpretation of the events of 1918 also denigrates the actions of those who contributed to the union of 1918. Rejecting these non-historical approaches to the Romanian unions of 1859 and 1918, this paper presents a comparative analysis of the historical, political, cultural, and geographical circumstances of the Romanians in 1859 and 1918, the key players, and the critical events that resulted in partial unification of the Romanian lands in 1859 and the creation of Greater Romania in 1918.

• Details
• Contents