Marea Unire şi istoriografia românească în epoca „matură” a regimului comunist

The Great Union and the Romanian historiography during the (late) Communist regime Abstract When making reference to the Romanian historiography in the communist period, especially in its "mature" age – that is in the years dominated by the personality of Nicolae Ceauşescu – the phrase "national-communism" is frequently employed. This use underlines that, beginning from the first part of the Sixties, the historiography was related with the new dominant political address in the communist regime. Nevertheless the historiography was able, or rather it was induced to recover not only the principal themes of the national history, but also some interpretations that succeeded in gathering the feeling of the public opinion and of the population, sometimes also in its less sober forms. This is a very simple thesis largely shared both by the Romanian historiography after 1989, and, with greater belief, by the international historiography. In this paper, I will try to test the soundness and above all the relevance of that thesis with respect to a chiefly outstanding exemplum, since it led to the realization of the greatest Romanian national program that is the building of the “România Mare” (Great Romania). For this aim I will review some texts of the years Sixties-Eighties, with a particular consideration for those texts that were translated for the non-Romanian public, included the Italian readers. Such scientific production (in line with and appreciated by the communist regime) was fed by researchers who had professional skill, but were “organic” to the ceauşism. Naturally there are numerous references to political statements; more often those of Nicolae Ceauşescu, than those referring to the classics of Marxism. Keywords: Romanian historiography; communist regime; Nicolae Ceauşescu; Ştefan Pascu.