Honorary Consulate of Romania (Boston, Massachusetts)
Interview with Prof. Ernest Latham on “The Peasant Revolt and Land Reform” by Dan Dimancescu
Prof. Ernest Latham – Historian and Retired Foreign Service Officer. He served at the U.S. Embassy in Romanian early in the 1980s and developed a strong academic interest in Romanian history and culture. In more recent years he taught at the Babes-Bolyai Univ in Romania. The interview by Dan Dimancescu in Bran, Romania, is divided into seven segments.
Filmed by Nicholas Dimancescu – Copyright © Kogainon Films, Cambridge, MA
Post-1850s Romanian history is closely linked to peasant-related issues. Prof. Latham explains why parts of this history, specifically the Peasant Revolt of 1907, have been a ‘no-go’ zone for Romanian historians. He emphasizes, too, the dilemma of chosing between politically and socially motivated land reform versus large-scale agricultural farming demanded of modern economies.
Eidelberg’s book documents the causes of the revolt but stops at describing or analyzing the revolt itself. “It ranks as one of the most important peasant revolts in East European History.” The latter is summarized in the introduction.
7: The Peasant Revolt (Ra˘scoala) & Land Reform – 6:00 mn
