Classical Liberalism in Romania, Past and Present

From its beginnings in the 19th century to the present day, liberalism in Romania has been closely linked with efforts to integrate Romania within Western European culture and politics. The movement was originally oriented primarily against foreign dominating powers (the Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungary, and Russia) and their local agents, rather than against the Romanian government as a vector of oppression. The main objective of the liberal movement has been to build and control a ‘national state’ that would then pursue modernization and institutional reform. After the fall of the communist regime, the classical-liberal tradition had to be rediscovered and even rebuilt.