Introduction

This chapter provides a narrative background to the research and writing of this book. It provides a historical context for Romania as a case study for veterans’ policies after World War I. I highlight the important themes of the book, from veterans’ laws to the veterans’ administration, focusing in particular on how they reveal new insights about the centralizing trends in government administration. How gender norms are reframed intersectionally through the activities of the veterans’ administration, in relation to ethnicity, religion, region, class and able-bodiedness is another red thread through the book. I highlight especially the new insights offered by this study on the topic of disabled veterans, which has seen almost no attention in the history of Romania. The introduction ends with a map of the book.