th the joining of Transylvania to Romania in 1918, the Hungarian and
German populations of the region lost much of their favored position
and, through land reform and nationalization since World War II, they
lost their source of wealth. These factors have engendered ill feeling
between the groups and have made Transylvania a continuing source of
potential problems (see ch. 2; ch. 10). Other factors dividing Romanians
and Hungarians have been religious and cultural differences.

Sensitive to the respective nationalist feelings of the Romanians and
Hungarians and to the historical dissensions between them, government
policy since 1947 has been one of promoting unity and cooperation among
all groups for the good of the country as a whole. The theme of equality
of all members of different ethnic groups and their close cooperation
permeates all official documents, reports, and statements. The Romanian
Communist Party, which before World War II had a high percentage from
ethnic minorities, represents itself as the historic protector of
minority populations and their rights. In the late 1960s the party
claimed that over 11 percent of its membership were non-Romanians, in
line with the proportional strength of minorities in the population.

During the first decade of communist rule, the government and the people
were so preoccupied with efforts to restructure society and foster
communist internationalism that ethnic chauvinism and problems of
interethnic relations receded into the background. The 1960s, however,
saw the development of Romanian independence vis-a-vis Soviet domination
and a resurgence of Romanian nationalism, which again raised the
potential for minority problems. As the government and party stressed
Romanian national independence and gave new emphasis to the historic and
cultural heritage of the Romanians, they also emphasized the unity,
equality, and fraternal cooperation between Romanians and minority
groups. National unity became a vital factor in August 1968, and
people's councils were established in the Hungarian, German, and other
minority communities to act as spokesmen for the ethnic minorities in
the Socialist Unity Front (see ch. 9).

The German minority, while anxious to preserve its cultural identity and
rights, seems to have good relations with the Romanians and with other
ethnic groups. Although their historic experience and their religion
give them a cultural affinity with the Hungarians, they h