Mariana S.Țăranu

I was born in the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, then part of the Soviet Union, in a region where the confrontation between East and West has never been merely a geopolitical issue. It continues to shape identity, language, historical memory, political life, and the choices made by society.

My professional training and experience in the Republic of Moldova and Romania have enabled me to study Eastern Europe both from within its communist and post-communist history and from the perspective of its integration into the Western world.

My research focuses on the Soviet regime, political repression, the famine of 1946–1947, deportations, the Sovietisation of the Moldavian SSR, communist propaganda, and the mechanisms through which political power intervened in the lives of individuals and communities.

An important area of my research concerns the war waged by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova in 1992, its political and human consequences, the Transnistrian issue, and the continuing influence of the Russian Federation on Moldova’s security and development.

I am also interested in the ways in which the legacy of communism continues to shape Eastern European societies, their relationship with the European Union and the Russian Federation, the crisis of democracy, populism, sovereignty politics, propaganda, and the memory of authoritarian regimes.

On this website, I publish historical analyses, opinion pieces, documents, excerpts from my research, and information about the books and projects on which I am currently working.

What You Will Find Here

Research and History

Studies and analytical articles on communism, famine, deportations, Sovietisation, political repression, propaganda, the war waged by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova in 1992, and the contemporary history of Eastern Europe.

Books

Published books and current publishing projects devoted to communism, the Soviet world, famine, war, memory, and the political transformations of Eastern Europe.

Archives and Documents

Materials based on archival records and historical sources that help reconstruct the mechanisms of power, individual experiences, and the consequences of authoritarian regimes for society.

Documents are not merely testimonies about the past. They also help us understand the institutional, political, and social continuities that continue to shape the contemporary world.

Articles and Analysis

Texts on the political and social realities of Eastern Europe, examined through history and through the experience of communist and post-communist regimes.

I analyse the relationship between memory and politics, the confrontation between East and West, the influence of the Russian Federation, European integration, the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, and the vulnerabilities of Eastern European democracies.

History Does Not Belong Only to the Past

I believe that history becomes truly useful when it helps us understand the world in which we live.

Political regimes disappear, but institutions, reflexes, fears, networks of influence, and ways of thinking may survive for several generations. For this reason, the research and articles published here do not merely reconstruct historical events.

They seek to explain how the past continues to influence:

• political decisions;
• relations between individuals and communities;
• identity and memory;
• attitudes towards Europe and the Russian Federation;
• trust in the state and public institutions;
• perceptions of freedom, authority, and democracy.

Main Areas of Research

My research focuses on the following themes:

• the communist regime and the Soviet experience;
• the Sovietisation of the Moldavian SSR;
• the famine of 1946–1947;
• deportations and political repression;
• communist propaganda and the control of society;
• the war waged by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova in 1992;
• the Transnistrian conflict and its consequences;
• relations between the Republic of Moldova, Romania, and the Russian Federation;
• the memory of communism in Eastern European societies;
• European integration and the crisis of democracy;
• Russian influence and information warfare;
• the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine and its consequences for Eastern Europe.

Current Projects

I am currently working on projects devoted to:

• the communist experience in the Romanian historical and cultural space;
• the famine of 1946–1947;
• the war waged by the Russian Federation against the Republic of Moldova in 1992 and the memory of the conflict on the Dniester;
• the relationship between memory, integration, and the crisis of democracy in Eastern Europe;
• the consequences of the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine for societies and interpersonal relations;
• the development of the MetodoRUS educational project.

An Invitation to Dialogue

This website is a space for research, reflection, and dialogue. It brings together texts, documents, and projects devoted to contemporary history, memory, identity, and the political and social transformations that continue to shape the world today.

It is intended for readers interested in history, as well as teachers, students, researchers, and everyone concerned with the relationship between the past and the present.

History does not always provide simple answers. But it helps us ask the right questions, recognise the mechanisms of power, and view the present with greater clarity.