2. Early twentieth century Romania in western travel books The twentieth century represents a period of great change in the way people lived, as a result of shifts in politics, ideology, society, economy, culture etc. The media have also developed in a manner never seen before and made the world knowledge more widely available. The period settled the settings of two world wars, the polarization between the Communist block and the Western democracies, the fall of Communism and, on the whole, brought major changes in the world’s political maps. Since it is necessary to also consider the internal struggles (a list which is by no means comprehensive of such blows would include the peasants’ revolt in 1907, the political and economic crises from the inter-war period, the brutal repression against the anti-communists, the break out of communism and the subsequent transition, all favored by the international context), it would be no exaggeration to say that the twentieth century was the most tumultuous in the history of Romania. It is the period that provides the most numerous travel books on Romania, and also the period in which the travel novel takes shape as a literary species. Since the twentieth century features events that represent turning points in world history, it is appropriate to analyze the travel books on Romania within the context of the historical events that were closest to their publication.
