MEANINGS REGARDING THE CONCEPT OF HISTORY IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY ROMANIAN THOUGHT
Cristian MĂDUŢA
“Vasile Goldiş” Western University of Arad
Faculty of Humanities, Politics and Administrative Sciences, Arad
Tel: 0040-257-282324 E-mail: cristian_maduta@yahoo.com
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to capture the diversity enclosed in the multiple meanings associated with the concept of history in the early twentieth century Romanian thought, the years preceding the consolidation of a common Romanian identity and a common Romanian state. I will emphasize Vasile Goldiş’s (one figure if major importance in the process of Romanian unification) contribution to the expression of history as a defining factor in the creation of a nation. First I will discuss the late nineteenth-early twentieth century approaches regarding the concept of history, trying to integrate Vasile Goldiş in this atmosphere and then I will argue for Vasile Goldiş’s contribution to the acknowledgement of history as a strong basis for national identity, national unity, and common culture and values.
Key words: history, self-determination, Romanian national identity, Romanian national unity Vasile Goldiş