The principle of administrative decentralisation according to Petre Andrei
Petre Andrei is an interwar personality who is famous for his contribution to the development of social sciences in Romania (founder of the system of sociological sciences) and for his activities within the department of sociology of the University of Iaşi and less known for his political activities. On the scene of politics he activated under the flag of the National Peasants’ Party. As a sub-secretary of state within various ministries or as the minister of education he was acknowledged for his competence, for the seriousness with which he approached his work and for the courage to express his opinions openly. An example of this is the presentation he made in July 1929 regarding the proposed new law on the organisation of government according to the principle of decentralisation. Increasing the autonomy of local communities was a measure much needed by the Romanian society, which suffered from the negative effects of centralism that materialised in “indiscriminate favouritism”, the substitution of competence with complacency and the “complete sacrificing” of general interest in favour of personal gain. The speeches he gave in Parliament and in various electoral meetings, his open stands against abuse, regardless of the form it could have taken, are a measure of his involvement in the affairs of the city. The sudden end of his political career shows that his personality was an inconvenience for the Romanian far-Right during the interwar period.
Keywords: Petre Andrei, sociology, politician, National Peasants’ Party, the principle of administrative decentralisation
1.[1] Petre Andrei, Jurnal, memorialistică, corespondenţă, ediţie de Petru P. Andrei, Vl. Fl. Dobrinescu, D. Tompea, Editura Graphix, Iaşi, 1993, p. 8.
2.[1] A se vedea pe larg despre procesul de diseminare al Partidului Conservator în I. Bulei, Sistemul politic al României moderne. Partidul Conservator, Editura Politică, Bucureşti, 1987.
3.[1] I. Scurtu, Istoria Partidului Ţărănesc (1918-1926), Editura Enciclopedică, Bucureşti, 2002, p. 7.
4.[1] I. Scurtu, Istoria Partidului Naţional-Ţărănesc, ediţia a doua, Editura Enciclopedică, Bucureşti, 1994, p. 69.
5.[1] „Dreptatea”, II, nr. 326 şi nr. 327 din 11 şi 12 noiembrie 1928.
6.[1] N. Iorga, Guvernul Maniu, în „Neamul românesc”, XXIII, nr. 251/ 11 noiembrie 1928.
7.[1] Partidul Social-Democrat către întreg poporul muncitor din România, în „Socialismul”, XXII, nr. 48 din 27 noiembrie 1928.
8.[1] Manifestul către ţară al Partidului Naţional-Ţărănesc, în „Dreptatea”, II, nr. 342 din 30 noiembrie 1928.
9.[1] Petre Andrei, Discursuri parlamentare (1929-1933), ediţia C. Bordeianu, D. Tompea, Editura Tipo Moldova, Iaşi, 2010, p. 229.
10.[1] Ibidem, p. 230.
11.[1] P. P. Carp, Discursuri parlamentare, ediţia Marcel Duţă, Editura „Grai Şi Suflet – Cultura Naţională”, Bucureşti, 2000, p. 240.
12.[1] P. Andrei, op. cit., p. 231.
13.[1] Ibidem, p. 232.
14.[1] Ibidem, pp. 233-234.
15.[1] Ibidem, p. 235.
16.[1] Ibidem, 238.
17.[1] Ibidem, p. 241.
18.[1] Ibidem, p. 245.
19.[1] Ibidem 247.
20.[1] „Viitorul”, XXII, nr. 6413 din 2 iulie 1929.
21.[1] I. Scurtu, Istoria Partidului Naţional-Ţărănesc, ed. cit., p. 38.
22.[1] Mircea Mâciu, Petre Andrei, ativitatea-concepţia-opera, Editura Ştiinţifică şi Enciclopedică, Bucureşti, 1986, Mâciu, p. 54.
23.[1] Ibidem, p. 54.
24.[1] Traian Herseni, „Petre Andrei”, Cronică, în „Sociologie românească”, nr. 7-12, 1942, p. 562.
