Introduction

The starting point from which to assess Romania’s evolution since 1990 in this collection of studies is the nature of the collapse of Communism there. Whereas Ceauşescu succeeded in uniting Romanians in opposition to him, his fall threw them into confusion. The legacy of totalitarian rule in Romania was therefore markedly different from that elsewhere. The impetus for reform in Romania and the adoption of democratic institutions came from outside rather than from within. The International Monetary Fund, the Council of Europe, and the European Union have been the major catalysts of reform, and the need to satisfy the requirements of these institutions in order to achieve integration into the so-called “Euro-Atlantic structures” spurred and guided the reform process in Romania. This volume reflects the significant progress made in Romania’s development over the last thirty-five years but at the same time identifies and addresses the flaws that continue to plague the public domain.