emony in 1993 triggered widespread protests in the country based on a contention that the president's presence at the ceremony accused Romania of crimes of which the country was not guilty (Shafir, 1993, pp. 31-36). Extreme nationalist sentiments have gained significant
strength in Romania since 1989 (Verdery, 1993, pp. 179-203). The growth of political extremism in Romania is particularly strong among the country's young people (Shafir, 1993, pp. 18-25). The young extremists increasingly identify openly with the old fascist Iron Guard, and are working toward the rehabilitation of the organization (Shafir, pp. 18-25).
Romanians generally also expressed a discontent with the recently defeated government over the slow pace of post-socialist land reform that had been promised (Dascalu, 1994, p. 10A). The failure of the government to keep its promises, together with the general deterioration of the country's social and economic structures since 1989, led more than 40,000 Romania
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