De la separatism regional la centra­lizare: două proiecte legislative ale universitarilor clujeni privind reforma învățământului superior românesc după 1918

Abstract

After the Great War and the union of Bessarabia, Bukovina, Transylvania, and the Banat with the Old Kingdom, the reform of higher education and, implicitly, its transformation into a unitary and efficient system required a lot of efforts. A significant number of initiatives and projects were discussed by the Romanian academic circles, politicians, and by the broader public before the first law for the organization of universities in Greater Romania was adopted and implemented, in April 1932. This article is a case study, which focuses on two proposals put forward in the 1920s by some prominent professors of the University of Cluj. My research tries to clarify and enrich our knowledge regarding the various stages that preceded and shaped the 1932 higher education law. It highlights the similarities and differences between these projects, looking, in particular, at their most relevant and modern elements. The article could equally provide points of comparison for future analysis regarding the reconstruction of the educational systems in other Central or Eastern European countries, in the first half of the 20th century.