Presentations by Streams

Internationalism was one of the essential characteristics of socialist regimes across the globe during the 20th century, in relation to supporting solidarity, be it economic, revolutionary or humanitarian. But socialist governments also underwent nationalist turns in order to secure legitimity and the support of the masses in their respective countries. Thus, an apparent paradox occurred: they were not to abandon the transnational networks within which they functioned, and at the same time they were to employ nationlist tropes in their discourses. Humanitarian aid (beside the need for modernization) was one domain in which the discursive tensions were resolved.
This panel discusses the manner in which Romania acted as part of several transnational humanitarian networks during the 1970s and 1980s. Despite the Romanian Communist regime turning towards a relentless form of nationalism during the 1970s, the country increased its international activity. At the same time, it adapted transnational networks to national specificities.
The panel seeks to explore the following questions: how did Romania manage Humanitarian Aid at UN level? What programs did it develop to support “Third World” countries? What happened to important, transnational networks, such as the Red Cross, once the Romanian socialist regime took a grip on its functioning and how did the regime manage western support in moments of crisis?