“Tefelisti” Versus “Trogloditi”. 175 Years of Social Struggle between Progressive and Retrograde Social Movements

Abstract

Progress-oriented or retrograde tendencies have manifested themselves inside Romanian society since the Revolution of 1848. One hundred year later the communist regime imposed by the Soviet occupation falsely assumed a path towards emancipation and prosperity for Romanian people. The second decade of 21-st century was marked by social conflicts steadily growing in intensity. Fueled by the public messages of political leaders, mass protests covered multiple social issues: forestry and mining workers versus environmental defenders, straight tradition sticklers versus pride enthusiasts, religious devotees versus secular radicals, etc. These clashes also continued during the beginning of 2020’s, having an apex in pro versus against vaccination movements.