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> Russian being a major foreign language taught in schools This lasted only for two decades immediately following the war, during the years of Soviet control,

> Russian being a major foreign language taught in schools This lasted only for two decades immediately following the war, during the years of Soviet control, but Romania famously began to depart from that Soviet control in the 1960s. French then fully returned to its position as the major foreign language taught in schools, and while Russian was still taught at a few schools here and there, it was no longer a language prescribed at the national level. Again, this is a pretty well known fact. You are out of your depth here. Even if Romania and Russia shared Orthodox religion, they had different conventions in terms of liturgy, monastery organization, etc., and whenever there are Russian–Greek differences, Romania always goes with the Greek convention. If you claim Russian cultural influence on Romania, let’s have some examples.

keiferski 3y ago
The entire reason Romania had a communist government was because of the Soviet Union. The fact that they later distanced themselves from the USSR doesn't change this fact. That seems like a pretty major Russian cultural influence to me. Unless you're suggesting that Romanian culture under communism arose independently and had no connection whatsoever to the USSR at any level? It just appeared from the ether, and Romania's presence in an Eastern Europe dominated by the Russian Empire and then USSR made no difference whatsoever, that it's at the same level as Russian influence on Zimbabwe or on Indonesia? Here's the actual reality: all states are influenced by larger powers in their neighborhood, even the unpopular ones. Especially in Eastern Europe with regards to Russia. It may be unpopular, especially these days and especially in places like Romania, Poland, and Lithuania, but to pretend that somehow these cultures evolved on separate planets is not an intellectually honest position.
- OfSanguineFire 3y ago
  Political influence does not equal cultural influence. There are innumerable instances throughout history of powers politically influencing smaller states but without making any significant impact on their culture. Why you keep trying to assert Russian cultural influence on Romania without evincing any actual familiarity with the country, or being able to produce any concrete examples, is baffling. Just admit that you don’t know this region very well and are operating from vague stereotypes.
  - keiferski 3y ago
    Romanian culture becoming communist didn't happen because of Russian political influence? They just decided to become communist entirely on their own? The Romanian communist government wasn't put into place by the USSR? And all the communist cultural elements in Romania from 1945 to the 1990s didn't exist? P.S., I live in the region in an ex-Soviet country.
    - OfSanguineFire 3y ago
      The Romanian Communist party was famously tiny before the war, it was never any major force bringing Russian culture into Romanian culture. While Soviet Russia as World War II victor did elevate that party to rule, that determined only the organization of the state, it did not introduce any distinctly Russian cultural influences into the Romanian population. Then, the “Communist cultural elements in Romania from 1945 to the 1990s” changed significantly in the 1960s as Romania went its own course. Thereafter, Romanian communism was increasingly blended with Romanian nationalism.[0] > P.S., I live in the region in an ex-Soviet country. That doesn’t make you qualified to speak on Romanian culture and history. The Eastern Bloc was not a monoculture, and many countries in the region are poorly understood by their neighbours. Romania is unusual in the region in its culture being marked by two traits besides Greek-aligned Orthodox Christianity: francophilia and dacomania. Those circumstances left very little room for Russian culture to make inroads. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_communism_in_Romania https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_communism_in_Romania
      - keiferski 3y ago
        There are innumerable instances throughout history of powers politically influencing smaller states but without making any significant impact on their culture. Again: you're telling me that communism in Romania didn't happen because of the Soviet Union, and that the Soviets implemented a communist political structure but this had zero effect on the culture? There was no communist culture in Romania? Zero? That's what you just claimed. You do understand that just because Romania shifted away from the USSR a couple decades later doesn't change the fact that the communist party was still in power and only became in power in the first place because of the USSR? This is a bit like arguing that Japan has no cultural influence from America, even though America conquered the country and replaced its government with a westernized one.

keiferski 3y ago

The entire reason Romania had a communist government was because of the Soviet Union. The fact that they later distanced themselves from the USSR doesn't change this fact. That seems like a pretty major Russian cultural influence to me. Unless you're suggesting that Romanian culture under communism arose independently and had no connection whatsoever to the USSR at any level? It just appeared from the ether, and Romania's presence in an Eastern Europe dominated by the Russian Empire and then USSR made no difference whatsoever, that it's at the same level as Russian influence on Zimbabwe or on Indonesia? Here's the actual reality: all states are influenced by larger powers in their neighborhood, even the unpopular ones. Especially in Eastern Europe with regards to Russia. It may be unpopular, especially these days and especially in places like Romania, Poland, and Lithuania, but to pretend that somehow these cultures evolved on separate planets is not an intellectually honest position.

OfSanguineFire 3y ago
Political influence does not equal cultural influence. There are innumerable instances throughout history of powers politically influencing smaller states but without making any significant impact on their culture. Why you keep trying to assert Russian cultural influence on Romania without evincing any actual familiarity with the country, or being able to produce any concrete examples, is baffling. Just admit that you don’t know this region very well and are operating from vague stereotypes.
- keiferski 3y ago
  Romanian culture becoming communist didn't happen because of Russian political influence? They just decided to become communist entirely on their own? The Romanian communist government wasn't put into place by the USSR? And all the communist cultural elements in Romania from 1945 to the 1990s didn't exist? P.S., I live in the region in an ex-Soviet country.
  - OfSanguineFire 3y ago
    The Romanian Communist party was famously tiny before the war, it was never any major force bringing Russian culture into Romanian culture. While Soviet Russia as World War II victor did elevate that party to rule, that determined only the organization of the state, it did not introduce any distinctly Russian cultural influences into the Romanian population. Then, the “Communist cultural elements in Romania from 1945 to the 1990s” changed significantly in the 1960s as Romania went its own course. Thereafter, Romanian communism was increasingly blended with Romanian nationalism.[0] > P.S., I live in the region in an ex-Soviet country. That doesn’t make you qualified to speak on Romanian culture and history. The Eastern Bloc was not a monoculture, and many countries in the region are poorly understood by their neighbours. Romania is unusual in the region in its culture being marked by two traits besides Greek-aligned Orthodox Christianity: francophilia and dacomania. Those circumstances left very little room for Russian culture to make inroads. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_communism_in_Romania https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_communism_in_Romania
    - keiferski 3y ago
      There are innumerable instances throughout history of powers politically influencing smaller states but without making any significant impact on their culture. Again: you're telling me that communism in Romania didn't happen because of the Soviet Union, and that the Soviets implemented a communist political structure but this had zero effect on the culture? There was no communist culture in Romania? Zero? That's what you just claimed. You do understand that just because Romania shifted away from the USSR a couple decades later doesn't change the fact that the communist party was still in power and only became in power in the first place because of the USSR? This is a bit like arguing that Japan has no cultural influence from America, even though America conquered the country and replaced its government with a westernized one.