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Papers by topor claudiu-lucian
Transylvanian Review, 2018
At the start of the Great War (1914), Romania had proclaimed its neutrality. The internal politic... more At the start of the Great War (1914), Romania had proclaimed its neutrality. The internal politicalscene was becoming increasingly volatile, and the actions of the diplomacy revealed the preoccupationfor finding new allies. This search was not, however, an open-and-shut case. Thepreference of the decision-makers of the era for the Entente powers prevailed, but the path tothe alliance was tortuous and beset by tensions. After entering the war (August 1916), Romaniaconstructed its own picture of the military contribution of its allies. This image (intensely presentin memoirs) preserves several pre-war features and adds new strengths. For the Romanian elites,France had been one of the beacons of modern civilization. Much had been said about the influenceof the French spirit in the emancipation process experienced by Romanian society. On theother hand, however, Russia, as an imperial power, enjoyed a negative perception. It had snatchedBessarabia from the Romanians, after the Berlin Congress, and had created a ring of fire around
the Kingdom of Romania by calling for brothers of the same race (the Slavs) in the North and
West of the Balkan Peninsula to show solidarity. The existing stereotypes did not die out—on
the contrary, they became amplified during the war. The proposed presentation aims to clarify
the manner in which Romanians viewed the contribution of the Entente allies to their wareffort, an image they preserved afterwards for many years in collective memory. The in-depth intentof the text is to show why the French and the Russians, each represented in unbalanced proportionson the Romanian front, were the object of such extremely different perceptions, and whatwere the defining traits that contributed to this type of portrayal.
Die unbekannte Front, 2018
Brukenthalia, 2017
In 20th century Europe there were two great generations of memory. Each of them, in its own way, ... more In 20th century Europe there were two great generations of memory. Each of them, in its own way, had
had a taste of the direct experience of war. One generation was represented by the victims. From its midst rose
a wave of images and commemorating narratives. The cult of memory would become the expression of a universal
phenomenon in the Interwar years. Imposing monuments (mausoleums) were built in all belligerent countries,
and their message evoked suffering, carnage and sacrifice. The second generation of the war memory operated
later from the 1970s. The latter feel more connected with the tragic experience of the Second World War. The
memories of this experience linger in the rhetoric of resistance. In the European West, resistance means the fight
against the Nazi and represents the origin of a renewed political culture in the countries humiliated by the war.
In Eastern Europe the same idea, used in propaganda favours the instauration of the totalitarian left. The Second
World War commemoration events and glorious public shows reawaken the memories of the First World War as
well, albeit as a secondary topic and subordinated to ideological guidelines. In totalitarian Romania, nationalist
communism includes in its propaganda the commemoration of the past sacrifices in order to justify its own
historical paradigm. From now on the game shifts the attention from the authentic memory of the 1914 war to
re-narrated memories, converted monuments and redefined history. The so-called glorification of Mărășești reflects the transition from memory to remembrance of the representations of a battle on the Romanian front.
The paper aims to analyse the way the legend of Mărășești was started and disseminated in the public space, andthen transformed into a propaganda topic.
The War of Yesterday, 2018
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and... more All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission of the publisher.
ASUI, 2021
vremea ce au fost Mareş banul vornic mare, fiind mare şi putérnecu". Adăugiri la biografia marelu... more vremea ce au fost Mareş banul vornic mare, fiind mare şi putérnecu". Adăugiri la biografia marelui dregător muntean Mareş Băjescu ....
RJMH, 2021
At the end of April 1918, Richard von Kühlmann, Secretary of State in the German Foreign Minister... more At the end of April 1918, Richard von Kühlmann, Secretary of State in the German Foreign Minister, met with the parliamentarians of the main political parties in order to explain the meaning and the progress of the peace talks in Bucharest. He had to reply to numerous reproaches and had prepared a sound argumentative exposition. The content of the respective exposition is analyzed in the pages of the present paper. The chosen historical perspective reconsiders the context and circumstances of this event. The analysis of the arguments used by von Kühlmann to combat the accusations of the conservative opposition represents as many keys of discussions on the purposes of the German policy in Eastern Europe at the end of the Great War. Regarding the goals of the Romanian delegates, the paper proposes conclusions drawn more from the diplomatic conduct and less from speculation on the articles of the treaty. If it was a punitive peace (the victor's peace), then it was a peace dictated by immediate political imperatives. If a permissive peace (the losers' peace) was signed, then the reason was to secure strategic compensations for the future. Following the acts of peace superimposed by the diplomacy displayed by Richard von Kühlmann in Bucharest, as this is revealed by the analysis of the report presented to the Parliament, the present research tries to clarify an old controversy: what was the outcome of this peace (Buftea-Bucharest, 1918) in the dramatic evolution of the scenarios for the last months of the war.
ASUI, 2022
The case of Alexandru Beldiman does not feature among the biographies of the personalities presen... more The case of Alexandru Beldiman does not feature among the biographies of the personalities present in the book. However, we discover him here as a character affiliated with Germanophile beliefs, in the author's comments and in some excerpts of private correspondence.
RESEE, 2022
Repudiated biographies during the Great War-Some Romanian "collaborationists" and their historica... more Repudiated biographies during the Great War-Some Romanian "collaborationists" and their historical culpability* In the modern postwar era, the fate of collaborationists has been an extremely harsh one all over Europe. Revenge proved to be a form of purifying therapy, even though insufficient at times, for the endured suffering, for the grotesque treatments and for the population's unimaginable grief. For numerous Europeans, thirst for revenge has weighed more than anything else at the end of the war, even more than the joy of freedom. The violence climax was reached after the end of World War II. Both in the East and in the West of Europe, "collaborationists" have been tried and executed, sometimes publicly. Hundreds of thousands of people were arrested for treason, for war crimes and for collaborationism. Some were found guilty of minor crimes and thus released shortly, while others had to undergo longer periods of imprisonment 1. A mere two decades and a half before, in the final stage of the Great War, there was also much talk about treason, more that in any other war before it. In many postwar states internal conflicts had arisen, escalating in the years of the reconstruction. Part of Europe faced, beginning with 1917, a massive proliferation of civil wars 2 , while in some countries, proclaimed as winners by the Paris Peace Conference, the wounds of war reclaimed "internal" pacifications, in the spirit of the victor's justice. One iconic photograph of the time was the one that inspired Liviu Rebreanu to give the title The forest of the hanged to one of his most successful novels. The writer had seen a forest in which bodies of Czech soldiers were hanging, somewhere behind the Austrian
Transylvanian Review, 2018
At the start of the Great War (1914), Romania had proclaimed its neutrality. The internal politic... more At the start of the Great War (1914), Romania had proclaimed its neutrality. The internal politicalscene was becoming increasingly volatile, and the actions of the diplomacy revealed the preoccupationfor finding new allies. This search was not, however, an open-and-shut case. Thepreference of the decision-makers of the era for the Entente powers prevailed, but the path tothe alliance was tortuous and beset by tensions. After entering the war (August 1916), Romaniaconstructed its own picture of the military contribution of its allies. This image (intensely presentin memoirs) preserves several pre-war features and adds new strengths. For the Romanian elites,France had been one of the beacons of modern civilization. Much had been said about the influenceof the French spirit in the emancipation process experienced by Romanian society. On theother hand, however, Russia, as an imperial power, enjoyed a negative perception. It had snatchedBessarabia from the Romanians, after the Berlin Congress, and had created a ring of fire around
the Kingdom of Romania by calling for brothers of the same race (the Slavs) in the North and
West of the Balkan Peninsula to show solidarity. The existing stereotypes did not die out—on
the contrary, they became amplified during the war. The proposed presentation aims to clarify
the manner in which Romanians viewed the contribution of the Entente allies to their wareffort, an image they preserved afterwards for many years in collective memory. The in-depth intentof the text is to show why the French and the Russians, each represented in unbalanced proportionson the Romanian front, were the object of such extremely different perceptions, and whatwere the defining traits that contributed to this type of portrayal.
Die unbekannte Front, 2018
Brukenthalia, 2017
In 20th century Europe there were two great generations of memory. Each of them, in its own way, ... more In 20th century Europe there were two great generations of memory. Each of them, in its own way, had
had a taste of the direct experience of war. One generation was represented by the victims. From its midst rose
a wave of images and commemorating narratives. The cult of memory would become the expression of a universal
phenomenon in the Interwar years. Imposing monuments (mausoleums) were built in all belligerent countries,
and their message evoked suffering, carnage and sacrifice. The second generation of the war memory operated
later from the 1970s. The latter feel more connected with the tragic experience of the Second World War. The
memories of this experience linger in the rhetoric of resistance. In the European West, resistance means the fight
against the Nazi and represents the origin of a renewed political culture in the countries humiliated by the war.
In Eastern Europe the same idea, used in propaganda favours the instauration of the totalitarian left. The Second
World War commemoration events and glorious public shows reawaken the memories of the First World War as
well, albeit as a secondary topic and subordinated to ideological guidelines. In totalitarian Romania, nationalist
communism includes in its propaganda the commemoration of the past sacrifices in order to justify its own
historical paradigm. From now on the game shifts the attention from the authentic memory of the 1914 war to
re-narrated memories, converted monuments and redefined history. The so-called glorification of Mărășești reflects the transition from memory to remembrance of the representations of a battle on the Romanian front.
The paper aims to analyse the way the legend of Mărășești was started and disseminated in the public space, andthen transformed into a propaganda topic.
The War of Yesterday, 2018
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and... more All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission of the publisher.
ASUI, 2021
vremea ce au fost Mareş banul vornic mare, fiind mare şi putérnecu". Adăugiri la biografia marelu... more vremea ce au fost Mareş banul vornic mare, fiind mare şi putérnecu". Adăugiri la biografia marelui dregător muntean Mareş Băjescu ....
RJMH, 2021
At the end of April 1918, Richard von Kühlmann, Secretary of State in the German Foreign Minister... more At the end of April 1918, Richard von Kühlmann, Secretary of State in the German Foreign Minister, met with the parliamentarians of the main political parties in order to explain the meaning and the progress of the peace talks in Bucharest. He had to reply to numerous reproaches and had prepared a sound argumentative exposition. The content of the respective exposition is analyzed in the pages of the present paper. The chosen historical perspective reconsiders the context and circumstances of this event. The analysis of the arguments used by von Kühlmann to combat the accusations of the conservative opposition represents as many keys of discussions on the purposes of the German policy in Eastern Europe at the end of the Great War. Regarding the goals of the Romanian delegates, the paper proposes conclusions drawn more from the diplomatic conduct and less from speculation on the articles of the treaty. If it was a punitive peace (the victor's peace), then it was a peace dictated by immediate political imperatives. If a permissive peace (the losers' peace) was signed, then the reason was to secure strategic compensations for the future. Following the acts of peace superimposed by the diplomacy displayed by Richard von Kühlmann in Bucharest, as this is revealed by the analysis of the report presented to the Parliament, the present research tries to clarify an old controversy: what was the outcome of this peace (Buftea-Bucharest, 1918) in the dramatic evolution of the scenarios for the last months of the war.
ASUI, 2022
The case of Alexandru Beldiman does not feature among the biographies of the personalities presen... more The case of Alexandru Beldiman does not feature among the biographies of the personalities present in the book. However, we discover him here as a character affiliated with Germanophile beliefs, in the author's comments and in some excerpts of private correspondence.
RESEE, 2022
Repudiated biographies during the Great War-Some Romanian "collaborationists" and their historica... more Repudiated biographies during the Great War-Some Romanian "collaborationists" and their historical culpability* In the modern postwar era, the fate of collaborationists has been an extremely harsh one all over Europe. Revenge proved to be a form of purifying therapy, even though insufficient at times, for the endured suffering, for the grotesque treatments and for the population's unimaginable grief. For numerous Europeans, thirst for revenge has weighed more than anything else at the end of the war, even more than the joy of freedom. The violence climax was reached after the end of World War II. Both in the East and in the West of Europe, "collaborationists" have been tried and executed, sometimes publicly. Hundreds of thousands of people were arrested for treason, for war crimes and for collaborationism. Some were found guilty of minor crimes and thus released shortly, while others had to undergo longer periods of imprisonment 1. A mere two decades and a half before, in the final stage of the Great War, there was also much talk about treason, more that in any other war before it. In many postwar states internal conflicts had arisen, escalating in the years of the reconstruction. Part of Europe faced, beginning with 1917, a massive proliferation of civil wars 2 , while in some countries, proclaimed as winners by the Paris Peace Conference, the wounds of war reclaimed "internal" pacifications, in the spirit of the victor's justice. One iconic photograph of the time was the one that inspired Liviu Rebreanu to give the title The forest of the hanged to one of his most successful novels. The writer had seen a forest in which bodies of Czech soldiers were hanging, somewhere behind the Austrian