After 1989 a lot of non-democratic regimes crumbled in Central and Eastern Europe. These regimes had started their way towards democracy and its consolidation. This way differed case by case but some aspects that affected them were common. One of the most important aspects is European Union, a strong international actor and a possibility for future development for these countries. This paper tries to examine the influence of possible future accession of Romania into the EU on its democratic consolidation. It is mainly focused on issues of national minorities and their protection and on extreme nationalist political parties and their position within Romanian society. Additional topics are democratic consolidation in broader sense and Europeanization. The conclusion shows that Romanian democracy in studied fields has become more consolidated and the influence of the EU o this change can be traced.

The problematic of Romanian transition to democracy after the year 1989 was by its major part determined by the form of previous regime. Because of the extreme pressure and control exercised on the opposition and personal dictatorship of the regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu, no major dissent groups or centers existed, bearing the potential to take part in the overthrow of the regime. In the swift and still unclear events of December 1989, National Salvation Front rose to hold the power, being directed by Ion Iliescu. As a formerly top positioned communist apparatchik, who had been swept out from status and power after several conflicts with Ceausescu, he transferred almost complete communist structure to the newly formed regime, including Securitate, the secret service. Deconstruction of the former regime was actually performed by the execution of the former president and his wife and by trials of several Securitate generals. Iliescu concentrated most of the power around NSF and in contradiction with the original proclamation postponed transition to democracy. The new regime, which was led by Ion Iliescu demonstrated in its ideological presentation and exercise of power apparent similarities with the era of communist rule, nevertheless, it worked under formal democratic framework. Because of this fact,...

The diploma thesis is based on a seven-month research of a family of Czech re-emigrants from the Romanian Banat. The aim of the research was to find out how these people understand the term home, how they negotiate it and what they related to it; the method employed here consisted of qualitative interviews. The researched sample does not represent the whole population, but rather the studied issue. The main focus was to gather as much exhaustive (and therefore related to understanding, negotiating and constructing of the meaning of the concept home) data related to the issue of home as possible within the given family rather than any universal application or generalization of the collected data to the whole of the Czech re-emigrants from the Banat. The author defines the term home as multidimensional, stemming from an individual and group experience, and from the current situation of an individual person; and as such she tries to depict it through different theoretical concepts. The thesis also presents an outline of a historical-sociological context of the existence of a Czech minority in Romania and its re-emigration. In relation to the main topic of home also emerged other topics, such as motivations for re-emigration, perceptions of Romania and the Czech Republic, response of the majority...

This research represents a comparative analysis of the Bulgarian and Romanian European Integration in terms of corruption and media freedom. I argue that, however, both states have multiple common grounds to be analyzed together, as is done in the previous academic research, they take rather different paths after their accession in the European Union regarding their progress in fighting corruption and ensuring free media. I analyze why and how this happens through the theoretical lenses of Constructivism on the matters of identity formation, integration, and spread of values. I will present an overview of the IR academic discourse on the topic, then attempting to fill its lapses in the Analysis section. There, I utilize qualitative content analysis on official reports, issued by the European Commission within these 10 years framework of EU membership in order to investigate the research question. I am to interpret the information from these sources and present the four major aspects of the case, leading to the current situation.

This study examined the impact of perceived economic hardship on family processes and children's socially withdrawn (reticent) behaviors in Romania. The sample consisted of 121 Romanian mothers and fathers of 4-5 year old children, as well as children's kindergarten teachers. Drawing on Conger and colleagues' family stress model of economic hardship, the associations among mothers' and fathers' ratings of economic hardship, depression, marital conflict, psychologically controlling parenting, and teacher ratings of child social withdrawal were analyzed. Structural equation modeling using AMOS 7.0 was used to test the model. Findings generally support earlier studies with European American families, as well as research with families outside of the U.S. Results indicate that higher perceptions of economic hardship related to increases in marital conflict. Mothers' and fathers' depression also associated positively with marital conflict. Marital conflict related to psychologically controlling parenting and mediated the effects of parents' depression on psychological control. Psychological control, in turn, associated positively with children's socially withdrawn (reticent) behaviors. Multiple group analysis indicated that the models for boys (N = 61) and girls (N = 60) were significantly different. Further analyses indicated that for boys, psychologically controlling parenting did not predict reticence. For girls, only fathers' psychological control predicted reticence. Significant links were additionally found for girls between economic hardship and fathers' depression, and between fathers' depression and psychologically controlling parenting.

The numerous buildings that currently require thermal rehabilitation in Romania means that substantial resources and a large number of competent people are required to carry out surveys and energy audits. However, commercial energy balance software is mostly unaffordable for those organisations involved in this process. This paper describes an energy balance programme – ENEFControl – developed to be a rapid, low cost, local tool able to assist in the choice of energy efficient solutions for buildings. To test the software, thermal and energy analyses were carried out on a 1970s built apartment block in Transylvania. Based on these analyses, three constructive scenarios were proposed for thermal rehabilitation. Compared to the performance of the analysed building, the thermal and energy performance of the retrofitted building in all three scenarios significantly improved. Since European Union accession in 2007, rapidly rising energy costs have affected the Romanian population. ENEFControl offers Romanian engineers and architects an opportunity to speed up the rehabilitation programme of buildings without the need for more expensive expertise and tools.

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This thesis is the study of televangelism contextualized within the country of Romania. It seeks to answer six main questions: I} When the Lord Jesus gave Christendom the global, Gospel mandate, he forced his disciples into a two thousand year struggle with, not only the message, but how to spread this message. Is the Gospel message so powerful that it will penetrate through any method of delivery? Can a former communist country be evangelized through television? 2) The next question asked in this thesis: is the message in and of itself, when conveyed through this media, sufficient to accomplish its goals? Does the media encourage the recipient to fulfill the desires of the message? What about Mass Communication Theory which espouses that television is more likely to reinforce then transform a viewer's belief? 3) The third question wrestled with: would the former communistic country of Romania, when turning to the ideals of the West, receive the Gospel message with greater or lesser significance through the media of television, or would other forms of communication be more desirable? Would television, in comparison to Crusade or Film Evangelism, be a more ideal media for the Gospel at this juncture in Romania's history? 4) Television allows large audiences to be reached with staggering efficiency, but does the medium itself impose limits on the kind of evangelism that can be done? What type of church grows out of an electronic medium? Would television gather a church "unto itself?" 5) In fulfilling the great commission, many organizations and mission groups have arisen with the desire to carry the Gospel message to the ends of the earth with whatever means available, including CBN, who uses television. Can television reach the masses, including the poor, in Eastern block countries? 6) The final question addressed in this research: what are the long term effects of televangelism in this former communistic country? Would a one time television program, given in one week, yield results that can be determined two years later? These questions were not only wrestled with, but conclusions were drawn to make evangelism and particularly televangelism more efficacious. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / Th. D. (Practical Theology)

This thesis is the study of televangelism contextualized within the country of Romania. It seeks to answer six main questions: I} When the Lord Jesus gave Christendom the global, Gospel mandate, he forced his disciples into a two thousand year struggle with, not only the message, but how to spread this message. Is the Gospel message so powerful that it will penetrate through any method of delivery? Can a former communist country be evangelized through television? 2) The next question asked in this thesis: is the message in and of itself, when conveyed through this media, sufficient to accomplish its goals? Does the media encourage the recipient to fulfill the desires of the message? What about Mass Communication Theory which espouses that television is more likely to reinforce then transform a viewer's belief? 3) The third question wrestled with: would the former communistic country of Romania, when turning to the ideals of the West, receive the Gospel message with greater or lesser significance through the media of television, or would other forms of communication be more desirable? Would television, in comparison to Crusade or Film Evangelism, be a more ideal media for the Gospel at this juncture in Romania's history? 4) Television allows large audiences to be reached with staggering efficiency, but does the medium itself impose limits on the kind of evangelism that can be done? What type of church grows out of an electronic medium? Would television gather a church "unto itself?" 5) In fulfilling the great commission, many organizations and mission groups have arisen with the desire to carry the Gospel message to the ends of the earth with whatever means available, including CBN, who uses television. Can television reach the masses, including the poor, in Eastern block countries? 6) The final question addressed in this research: what are the long term effects of televangelism in this former communistic country? Would a one time television program, given in one week, yield results that can be determined two years later? These questions were not only wrestled with, but conclusions were drawn to make evangelism and particularly televangelism more efficacious. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / Th. D. (Practical Theology)

Ce travail de recherches dans divers centres d‟archives (Paris, Nantes, Bucarest, Genève) réalise une synthèse des relations culturelles franco-roumaines de 1878 à 1965. Il s‟agit de comprendre, comment la France affaiblie après 1870 est plus que jamais considérée par l‟élite roumaine comme sa « grande soeur latine ». Puis, forte de cette reconnaissance, comment elle institutionnalise sa propagande culturelle dans la Grande Roumanie (1919-1939) pour oeuvrer aux côtés des Roumains à la latinisation des territoires annexés, et parvient à la signature de l‟accord culturel de mars 1939 dans l‟environnement hostile des régimes fasciste et nazi. La dernière période de 1940 à 1965 traite des aléas de ces relations : maintien difficile des OEuvres françaises durant la guerre, renouveau espéré des échanges de 1944 à 1947, jusqu‟à la dénonciation de l‟accord en 1948 par la Roumanie sous tutelle soviétique. Suit une traversée du désert qui aboutit avec peine au nouvel accord de 1965. Tout au long de cette période, la culture française s‟enrichie au contact des intellectuels et artistes roumains dont les oeuvres entrent dans le patrimoine français. L‟auteure de la thèse fait découvrir son trisaïeul roumain, le peintre Mihai Simonidi (1872-1933), à partir des archives familiales. Arrivé en France en 1892, il acquiert une certaine renommée auprès du Tout-Paris à l‟occasion de l‟Exposition Universelle de 1900 ainsi qu‟auprès de l‟élite bucarestoise. Peintre de nus, de marines et de fresques magistrales dont certaines décorent encore l‟intérieur de bâtiments bucarestois, il réalise également des portraits de célébrités françaises du monde artistique et littéraire et de politiques roumains. / This study of Franco-Rumanian cultural relations between 1878 and 1965 is the fruit of research carried out in a number of archive centres (Paris, Nantes, Bucharest and Geneva). Its objective is to understand why France, in its weakened state after the 1870 war, was nevertheless considered by the Romanian elite as its „older sister‟. The author then examines how France used its position to institutionalise its cultural propaganda in „Grand Romania‟ (1919-1939), working alongside Romanians to spread its influence to the annexed territories, and how a cultural agreement was signed in March 1939 despite the hostile environment created by the fascist and Nazi regimes. Relations were unsettled during the final period (1940 to 1965), with the struggle to retain French works of art during the war, the promising exchanges in the immediate after-war years, and the termination of the agreement in 1948 by Soviet-controlled Romania. After a barren period a new agreement was signed in 1965. Throughout the period French culture was enriched by its contact with Romanian intellectuals and artists whose works were integrated into France‟s cultural heritage. The author uses family records to tell the story of her Romanian ancestor, the artist Mihai Simonidi (1872-1933). After arriving in France in 1892, he exhibited at the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and gained a certain reputation amongst the Paris and Bucharest elite. Well-known for his nudes, marine scenes and murals, some of which can still be seen in buildings in Bucharest, he also painted the portraits of famous French artists and writers and Romanian politicians of the time.