Social and Political Nationalism of the Romanian Interwar Period and its Philosophical Origins – Nichifor Crainic in the Light of Far-Right Ultra-Nationalism

Abstract

This article tries to set the basis of a discussion regarding the link between Nichifor Crainic’s philosophical, theological, and political thought & work (in view of his ethnographic state as a mandatory solution for the shaping of the interwar Romanian society) based on a Christian-orthodox fundamental belief, and the emergence of a powerful Romanian extreme right movement during same period of time – not excluding from the discussion Crainic’s direct or indirect influence in this case. Our proposal is to pinpoint the link between the emergence of Crainic’s philosophical and political convictions to a preexistent substratum of intertwining between fundamental nationalism, cultural, popular, or religious beliefs, a type of intolerance, and the acceptance of the foreigner among Romanian traditional communities.

Keywords

• Ethnocratic state
• social Darwinism
• gândirism (Romanian philosophical movement derived from the word „‟thinking‟‟ and the homonym magazine)
• autochthony
• neo-orthodoxy
• militant nationalism
• militant orthodoxy
• legionary movement