Habersack, Sabine - Puşcaş, Vasile - Ciubotă, Viorel (szerk.): Democraţia in Europa centrală şi de Sud-Est - Aspiraţie şi realitate (Secolele XIX-XX) (Satu Mare, 2001)
Ivan Vovkanych: Democracy and Totalitarianism in East European Countries: Transition Periods int he History of the 20th century
Ivan Vovkanych case, and return to democratic governance and civic society in the second is worth attention, profound research, and comparative historic and political theory analysis. Despite the principally different character of social and political changes within any of the above periods (1st in late 40s, 2nd since early 90s of the 20th century), both are characterized by cardinal system changes of the entire society and the relations of its structural elements in the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe. Unfortunately, the return to democracy in this part of European continent in the 90s takes much more slower pace than the establishment of totalitarianism shortly after the end of World War II. More objective historical analysis of the post-war social and political processes in the countries of Eastern Europe and the influence of the Soviet Union on them became possible in late 90s, when Russian researchers published new documents from the archives of the Russian Federation, which throw a new light on Stalin’s policy in this region after World War II.1 Applying these published materials to analysing the events of 1944-1948, one should take into consideration the specific tendency of modem Russian historiography and source analysis which is basically a somewhat ‘rehabilitative’ approach to Stalinist Moscow’s policy in East European region after World War II. As far as modem Russia is the USSR’s legatee, it not only it strives to become a great nation, but, according to the pre-election speech made by the new president, V. Putin, in March 2000, it claims returning its super-state status, most of Moscow historiographers of the present tends to justify the former Russian and Soviet foreign policy, perhaps due to patriotic feelings. This social and psychological phenomenon can be called “national state class feeling”. It is characterized by direct, purposeful, sometimes unconscious justification of the former policy of one’s nation and state by a historian who is a representative of this nation and country. However, a sound patriotism of a researcher should not lead to absolute rehabilitation of national history, as no nation is free from mistakes and misleading historic choices, having * '. Vostochnaia Evropa v dokumentál) rosiske arhivov. 1944-1953 ,T. 1, 1944-1948- T.2., 1949-1953, Moscow, Novosebirsk, in Sebirschei hronoeraf. 1997-1998; Sovietschei factor v Vostocinoi Evrope. 1994-1953. T.l. Bucharest. 1944-1948- Dokumente. Moscow; Rosiskaia politiceskaia entziklopedia.1999; ..Tri vizita A. Vishinscogo v Bucharest.1944-1946.“ Dokumente rosiskeh arhivov-Moscow. ROSSPEN, 1998. 132
