Romanian politics, 1859-18711998

"This book presents a systematic description and analysis of Romanian political life from the establishment of the modern Romanian national state in 1859 to the abdication crisis of 1871 that marked a turning point in the development of that state. Romanian diplomatic history in the modern period has been well and extensively studied, both in Romania and elsewhere. This has led, ironically, to a slightly distorted picture of Romanian development, one in which external developments appear to take precedence over domestic events and processes. As a result, this study focuses on internal Romanian political development. While the histories of smaller countries - especially one surrounded as the Romanians were by three less than congenial empires - may be more influenced by international affairs, than larger or more isolated nations, it would be a mistake to think of Romanian history in the 19th and 20th centuries as primarily dominated by diplomatic events and forces. This study tries to provide a corrective to such tendencies."--BOOK JACKET.