Teodor Baconschi: There still are social fractures, regional disparities, and we have not completely evicted the phantoms of totalitarianism either

We celebrate the centenary of the Great Union of 1918! Throughout this lengthy period, Romania experienced considerable turmoil: World War II, the totalitarian regimes (the most devastating of which was the Soviet communist dictatorship), the numerous territorial fractures.
Nevertheless, the country consistently managed to resist and rebuild itself, by means of an increasingly educated nation whose efforts led to Romania accession both to the EU and to NATO, thus asserting its Occidental destiny.
There still are social fractures, regional disparities, and we have not completely evicted the phantoms of totalitarianism either.
Bottom line, we have good reasons to be proud of our accomplishments: a civilized, pluralist, vibrant society, where hope continues to be a valid symbolic asset.