Bratescu

The first part of the research is an introductory study on the associative phenomenon and civil society, from the general (European) framework to the particular one of the Southeast European and Romanian space. After mentioning the historiographical landmarks related to the development of the concept, the introductory study also includes an overview of the general features of Romanian associationism, featuring the instruments, people, and strategies used, highlighting representative examples of associative forms from the second half of the eighteenth century. The Romanian Political Elite and the Development of Civil Society. Objectives and Mechanisms (Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century) is meant to represent an analysis of a reality of civil society also sensed at the European level, namely the intersection between the political and associative fields. The study focuses on the involvement of the modern political elite in the development of associationism to achieve objectives, reforms, or modernisation initiatives outside the institutional framework they represented. Whether we refer to liberals, conservatives, or socialists, the associations, societies, and other forms of civil organisation where leaders and politicians were involved, the objectives pursued through this form of sociocultural involvement, and the areas where the unleashing of civil society forces was sensed the most in the timeframe mentioned above represent the research directions of the study.