Development of the Rural Problem in Romania: an Interpretative Frame

The underdevelopment of agricultural sector in Romania was and still is an important topicin the relations with the European Union. Throughout this article I approach the problem from ahistorical perspective, arguing that the backwardness of agriculture can be traced in the nineteenthcentury development model applied of Romania. The foundation of national state during thenineteenth century was directly connected with the integration of the provinces which formed themodern Romania in the capitalist trade system. The economic and cultural exchanges which followedsupported the development of national state but worsened the living conditions of the majority ofpopulation, consisting in peasants. As the grains became the main export products, the transformationof the rural area followed a specific path, different of modernization.