De la realitate politică la simbol. Inaugurarea statuii lui C.A. Rosetti (1903)
From political reality to symbol. The inauguration of C.A. Rosetti’s statue (1903)

Summary/Abstract: Coming at a time of peak political contestation, the idea oferecting a statue in memory of C.A. Rosetti did not escape the reactionsand commentaries of all the political actors of the moment. Apart fromthe genuine desire to pay homage to a figure of Rosetti's stature, whichwas undeniable among those who initiated the action, the fact that theRomanian society was beginning, in the late 19th century, an effort torecuperate its history created fresh expectations each time the name of afigure from the national history was put up for public honouring. To theneutral observers of the Romanian political scene, one thing wasobvious: the two major rival political forces had begun in earnest acompetition in terms of rediscovering models of political leaders in theirpast. Given the fact that Rosetti, in his late years, had somewhat isolatedhimself from the liberal faction centred around I.C. Brătianu, it is notdifficult to notice the lack of enthusiasm with which the liberals gotinvolved in the story of inaugurating a statue that would remind of thefuture of the Walachian radical liberal. Nevertheless, it is precisely thissituation that made the conservatives accept much more easily –compared to other situations – the rediscovery of C. A. Rosetti and hiscasting as a luminary of the Romanian society. Whilst the politicalcontext of the eighth decade of the 19th century had been adverse toC.A. Rosetti, the early 20th century brought him the opportunity to bevindicated before those who had not understood his efforts to reformRomanian liberalism, as well as before his various political competitorswho had not accepted during his lifetime his opinions about themodernisation process in the Romanian society.

• Details
• Contents