Author: Anca Mandru

For interwar Romanian writers and intellectuals, the Great Depression exacerbated an already precarious situation. The period brought job cuts in civil service and teaching, the fields which traditionally employed intellectuals, fewer publishing opportunities, and wage delays. The crisis affected even established and popular writers. Cezar Petrescu made an acclaimed debut in 1928 with his novel … Continue reading “Living and Writing in the 1930s: A Romanian Novelist’s Financial Troubles”

On the 9th of May 1935 King Carol II of Romania opened the festivities of the newly inaugurated Month of Bucharest (Luna Bucureştilor). The month-long event, which would take place annually until 1940, included festivals, exhibitions and various events meant to showcase urban modernization, cultural heritage, and the achievements of the regime in general. It … Continue reading “An Uncomfortable Book: Bucharest (1935)”

The failures of interwar democracy in Eastern Europe are often ascribed to the lack of experience of the newly enfranchised population. In Romania, while the new voters indeed lacked experience, those who organized elections did not. Already before the war, the existing parties established extensive networks of party agents and civil servants in charge of … Continue reading “An Electoral Experience in Interwar Romania”

Scholars often identify a ‘delay’ in the coverage of the Great Depression in Romania, both in terms of reporting the evolution of the crisis abroad and its impact at home. Indeed, newspapers, officials, and private individuals frequently referred to the crisis as a phenomenon that took place, or was more severe, elsewhere. The memoirs of … Continue reading “From Far Away to Closer to Home: Early Perceptions of the Great Depression in Romania”

Global economic crises like the Great Depression hit countries at different times, with various intensities, and great local and regional disparities. Some social categories are more affected than others, and the impact of crisis in one sector of the economy may have unexpected effects elsewhere. As part of my preliminary research for the project The … Continue reading “Benefits of the Great Depression? The Ambiguous Case of Urban Workers in Romania”