Transylvania

Paper Summary:

Copsa Mica is a small town in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvanian central Romania. Originally a small Lutheran hamlet built in 1402 and known for its Saxon churches, it descended into hell under the communists; a hell comprised of poorly built concrete housing caked black with the leaden fumes of a nearby smelting plant. The paper shows that Copsa Mica gained international notoriety in 1990, following the downfall of the Ceausescu regime, for being one of the most heavily polluted cities in Eastern Europe. According to a CNN report, two out of every three children suffered from a form of mental retardation due to the devastating effects of the town's carbon plant and metal works. The paper shows that this real tragedy reflects the legacy of Transylvania, an area of Romania known to the West for the Dracula legend. Since the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, this area has been a point of conflict between empires, ethnicities, religions and ideologies.

From the Paper:

"The aftermath of the First World War also gave rise to Communism. Communist agitators had first arrived from Germany to destabilize Romania. Russian communists, who wished to expand communist influence after 1917, complimented their numbers. Romanian communism was originally small and limited to academic circles, but agitators were backed by the powerful Soviet regime and managed to blow up the Senate building in Bucharest. Their efforts served but to cauterize Romanians against Communist influence. However, the Russians seized Bessarabia in 1940, compelling Romania under Marshal Ion Antonescu to join the Germans. The Germans, in turn, allowed Hungary to re-annex part of Transylvania including Copsa Mica. Romania regained this territory after the Soviet Union invaded Hungary, causing Romania to switch sides and ally with the United Nations."

More papers on Transylvania:

• Analytical Essay # 65387 : "Elie Wiesel's "Night"
• Analytical Essay # 8357 : "Dracula"
• Research Paper # 5641 : "Franciscan Missionaries and Society in Moldavia"

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