ABSTRACT
Classical Marxism is essentially an antinationalist theory. The members of the working class, exploited by the capitalist ruling class, have no reason to develop feelings of attachment for the nation-state within which they are forced to toil for subsistance wages. Economic forces dictate that the workers’ allegiance is given to his class, and that all members of this class should share similar interests, regardless of their country of residence. No regime in Eastern Europe has developed an ideology of nationalism to the extent that Romania has. It is no exaggeration to state that nationalism has superseded Marxism-Leninism as the preeminent political ideology in Romania. The Polish regime has also turned to nationalism as a means of ameliorating the wounds inflicted by martial law. It was a belated decision, however, and for some time, opponents of the regime seemed to have monopolized interpretations of the Polish past for their own purposes, particularly in the area of Polish-Soviet relations.
