ABSTRACT
Romania has the misfortune of a "skewed distribution" of ethnic groups in the political, socio-economic, and cultural realms. A hierarchy of the ethnic preferences developed in which each group rated itself first and best on a number of dimensions, with others ranked according to the perceived assets and deficiencies. The emphasis on the organic society deepened during the 1980s, and it was mixed with advanced paranoia, which changed Ceausescu's views on the nation and Romanian nationalism in a major way. The reemergence of Romanian nationalism and chauvinism as legitimizing devices for the political regime made a great deal of sense originally, because it clearly helped bolster the political system in the minds of the ethnic majority of the country. All nationalism must sooner or later produce practical political and socio-economic results; otherwise, slogans, banners, and symbolic rewards lose their meaning.
