The Meanings of Romanian Patriotism in Three Texts from the Beginning of the 20th Century

• Author: Fanel Teodorascu
• Position: Senior Lecturer, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Faculty of Communication and International, Relations, Romania
• Pages: 321-327

ISSN: 2067 – 9211 Communication Sciences – Globalization of Cultural Diversity

321

The Meanings of Romanian Patriotism

in Three Texts from the Beginning of the 20 th Century

Fănel Teodoraşcu1

Abstract: In this paper, we intend to follow how the patriotism was explained to Romanians during the period

preceding Romania’s entry into the First World War. We consider our approach important and because on 1st

of December 2018 the Romanians celebrated for the one hundredth time the Day of the Great Union. In our

research, three texts, each of them belonging to another author, will be followed. The first text represents an

orthodox Christian point of view on patriotism, the second text comes from the sphere of politics, and the last

text on which we will stop embodies the military vision of the matter dealt with here. In addition to these three

texts, we will also use articles that have been published in magazines such as: Revista Generală a

Învăţământului (The General Magazine of Education), Revista Istorică Română (the Romanian Historical

Review), Revista Grănicerilor (the Guardian Magazine), Revista Istorică Română (the Historic Magazine),

Biserica Ortodoxă Română (the Romanian Orthodox Church,) Furnica, etc.

Keywords: patriotism; nationalism; history of press; education; communism

1. Some Explanations

In Romania, the political events that took place in recent years determined the national public space to

talk seriously about patriotism again. After the fall of the C ommunist regime, which took place in

December 1989, there was less talk of “patriotism”, which was associated, especially by young people,

with the policy of the Romanian Communist Party (P.C.R.). Today, there is talk2 of patriotism again.

Attempts to define/redefine patriotism are made by specialists from different fields of activity. Not just

in the speeches of politicians, university professors, sociologists, psychologists, etc. one can find

references to how patriotism is understood, but also in some commercial advertisements (even if in the

latter case the idea of patriotism is not clearly expressed, but only suggested). In this paper we do not

intend to clarify the meaning of patriotism. There are already many works that have undertaken this

goal. Our intentions are much more modest.

Over the years, “many meanings of patr iotism” have been given, but most of these meanings were, if

we were to believe the author of an article published in 1944, “false”. (Miclea, 1944, p. 2) In our

research, we wanted to see how the patriotism was explained to Romanians during the period preceding

Romania’s entry into the First World War, at the end of which political events took place that led to the

Great Union which took place on 1st of December 1918. We consider our approach as important and

1 Senior Lecturer, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Faculty of Communication and International, Relations, Romania,

Address: 3 Galati Boulevard, 800654 Galati, Romania, Tel.: +40.372.361.102, fax: +40.372.361.290, Corresponding author:

teodorascu.fanel@univ-danubius.ro.

2 See (Marin, November 30, 2016). At https://pressone.ro/ce-este-si-ce-nu-este-patriotismul/The article was quoted on

December 10 2018, at 05.01 p.m.