Public lecture by Professor Keith Hitchins
Opening remarks by HE Dr Ion Jinga, the Ambassador of Romania to the Court of St. James's
Introduction by Dr Dorian Branea, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London and Dr Marius Turda, Director of the Cantemir Institute at Oxford University
The great historian and professor Keith Hitchins from the University of Illinois reveals the unknown extraordinary destiny of the founding father of Greater Romania and the leader of Romanian liberalism, Ion I.C. Brătianu.
A major political figure of 20th century Romania, Ion I. C. Brătianu (1864 - 1927) was the architect of Greater Romania and the leader of the interwar Romanian Liberal Party. As Prime Minister (1914-1918) and Minister of War (1914-1918), Brătianu took the decision to intervene in the war on the side of the Allies in 1916. He led the Romanian delegation to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference where he was a vocal supporter of the union with Transylvania and Bukovina. His activities after World War I saw the unification of the Old Romanian Kingdom with Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia. In 1923, he was elected an honorary member of the Romanian Academy.
Arguably the most celebrated American scholar of Romanian studies, Keith Hitchins is Professor of History at the University of Illinois. Beside a lifelong interest in Romania, his areas of research also include Southeastern Europe, the Kurds, Central Asia, and nationalism. Among his more recent books are Rumania, 1866-1947 (Oxford: Claredon Press, 1994), The Romanians, 1774-1866 (Oxford: Claredon Press, 1996), A Nation Discovered: Romanian Intellectuals in Transylvania and the Idea of a Nation, 1700-1848 (Bucharest: Encyclopaedic Publishing House, 1999). He is an honorary member of the Romanian Academy.
"Anyone working on the history of modern Romania has to begin with Hitchins' views". The Historian
Professor Hitchins will be signing copies of his most recent book "Ion I C Bratianu: Romania. Makers of the Modern World: The peace conferences of 1919-23 and their aftermath" released by Haus Publishing London.
The lecture is organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute and the Cantemir Institute at the Oxford University. The event takes place with the support of Haus Publishing.
When: Thursday 11 October, 7pm
Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PH
Please confirm your attendance at: office@icr-london.co.uk | 0207 752 0134. Free admission.
