Romanian Modern Associations (Sports Clubs) from the Late 19th Century to the Outbreak of World War I: Tourism and Public Utility

Cosmin-Ștefan DOGARU
Romanian Modern Associations (Sports Clubs) from the Late 19th Century to the Outbreak of World War I: Tourism and Public Utility
Instituția: 
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Political Science
Email autor: 
dogaru.cosmin-stefan@fspub.unibuc.ro
Abstract: 

The Romanian elites, educated abroad, acknowledged the necessity towards major changes in different areas concerning the society and the state. Since the second half of the 19th century, the local elites following the European pattern, gradually, also founded associations (sports clubs) in order to get closer to the West, while also modernising the Romanian state. Our paper explicitly aims to investigate how particular associations (sports clubs) encouraged the development of tourism and public utility in modern Romania. Therefore, Jockey Club Român (1875) [the Romanian Jockey Club], Automobil-Club Român (1904) [the Romanian Automobile Club], Liga Națională Aeriană (1912) [the National Air League] were societies created by some ardent people, attaining a more consolidated position over time. Naturally, the leisure perspective was essential, but, gradually, the economic dimension found its place in the concerns of certain members of the Romanian elites. Helping the tourism and the public utility routes develop in the country was also present among the concerns of the Romanian leading classes.

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