Academician Theodorescu on Greater Union: It was the masterpiece of political thinking called January 1859

Historians from all over Romania and abroad attended on Wednesday a symposium called "The Greater Union - the culmination of a millenary history," organised by the National Defence College Foundation and the National Defence College at the Central University Library in Bucharest, an event that is part of the series of events dedicated to the Centennial of the December 1, 1918 Greater Union. 

Academician Razvan Theodorescu spoke about "three country projects and two generations" that led to the Greater Union. 

"It was the masterpiece of political thinking that was called January 1859. In my opinion, it is the smartest action taken by Romanians in all their history, namely the double election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The second project, which was the Independence of 1877, was largely conducted by the same people or others who accreted to those of 1859, which actually prolonged the 1848 revolutionary moment. Finally, there is the 1918 Union, which was certainly part of a general trend of unions in Europe, of the definitive formation of nations in the place of former empires, the fall of empires," said Theodorescu. 

According to him, nationalism is a "healthy" doctrine - the doctrine of Titu Maiorescu, Mihai Eminescu, Nicolae Iorga, and Constantin Radulescu Motru. 

"Romania must once and for all join the civilised peoples that do not stupidly and idiotically make fun of the word nationalism. (...) Nationalism is a healthy doctrine, it is the doctrine of Titu Maiorescu, of Eminescu, Iorga and Radulescu-Motru, and we have to talk about that all the time," he said. 

According to him, there are no longer "statesmen" or "political people" in Romania. 

"In Romania, we no longer have statesmen today. You can call me a subjective old man, but the last Romanian statesman is Professor Adrian Nastase. Historically speaking, after him there is nothing in any party and no horizon, which is unacceptable. We need at least politicians, if not statesmen, to think about the future elections - we have no such thing anymore - that is why mentioning the generations of statesmen who made Romania and who did some projects is absolutely necessary," said Theodorescu. 

In his opinion, "the only possible fourth country project" would be Romania's union with Basarabia. 

In his turn, university professor Ioan Scurtu approached the Greater Union of 1918 in a European context.

He said that Romania had been made before other nation states like Italy and Germany, and the Treaty of Trianon was signed when the union was "a reality." 

"Romania was made before states like Italy. A smaller union of the Romanian Principalities took place in 1859. Italy became a nation state in 1861. And before another very important state, Germany, which came into existence in January 1871. Romanians had European priorities and that was due to their capacity to capitalise on the international context and to place the Great Powers before an accomplished fact, their own national fact (...) The Treaty of Trianon was signed on June 4, 1920, when the union was a reality, when Romania was led by a Transylvanian leader hailing from the united provinces; that was not some gift to Romania from the Great Powers,' said Scurtu. 

Professor Adrian Nastase spoke about the National Committee in Paris and its publications. He said it was interesting that one of the main problems of the Romanian representatives of the time in France was related to how to mobilise the French political elite in their support. AGERPRES .