The solitude of collectivism: Romanian villagers to the revolution and beyond

Abstract

One of the most profound contradictions experienced in many socialist countries is that a system designed to create people motivated by the needs of society has in fact produced individuals driven by self-interest, distrust, and apathy. The Solitude of Collectivism offers a fascinating portrait of the transformation of Romanian village life through the four decades of socialist rule and during the first uncertain days after the revolution of 1989.