Intelectuali bănățeni pe frontul Marelui Război / Intellectuals from Banat on the Front of the Great War
Jan. 1, 2017
Keywords:
Romanians
români
front
intelectuali
intellectuals
autorități
authorities
memorii
memoirs
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Abstract
The outbreak of the conflict and the scale it took affected the Romanian society strongly, and the mourning covered the entire Banat. In this context, some intellectuals from Banat came to the front. They are the ones who lived
the drama of the great war, being aware that the thousands of Romanians on the front are in the position to fight
for a foreign cause. These intellectuals are those who, through the notes made on the battlefield, have made known
the tragedy of the Romanian people, but also the drama of the great war. Interesting are some nuances highlighted
by the testimonies of intellectuals like Peter Nemoianu, who in his memoirs speaks of the hardness and discipline
of the Austrian front, but also of the hunger he suffered here and of the „Russian spirit” with which the prisoners were treated from the beginning, being accepted and tolerated. Publicist Cassian R. Munteanu, on the front,
speaks of the drama of Romanians who have to fight for foreign interests, while Alexandru Ţânţariu witnessed
a special meeting on the front, being the one who had the opportunity to discuss in Debrecen with a group of
Russian prisoners, among whom he also found Romanians from Bessarabia. The lines written by Caius Brediceanu
are also enticing. Arrived on the Italian front, he speaks in his memoirs of a „diabolical night”, in which he could
no longer distinguish the rustle of the Austro-Hungarian cannon from that of the bugs sent by the enemies. Due
to the difficult situation facing the Romanian society, some intellectuals from Banat have come to fight on the side
of the Entente, contributing to the organization of Romanian volunteer troops, such as Cassian Munteanu, but
also Avram Imbroane and Sever Bocu. All this describes the drama of the Romanian society, a divided society, but
which, due to the difficulties that arose during the war and the activities of its intellectuals, succeeded in gathering,
defending its national ideal and forming a new state.
