By Design? Decollectivisation in Post-socialist Romania and the rise of land grabbing (1991-2024)

Abstract

The collapse of the communist bloc in Eastern Europe triggered significant economic restructuring and widespread disruptions across all levels of society. These shifts were part of a broader move toward neoliberal policies, often referred to as "shock therapy". Focusing on the rural context, one of the most significant changes brought about by the fall of the Communist Bloc was the process of decollectivization, which occurred in most former socialist countries. Decollectivization was a major agrarian reform in which land was redistributed, dismantling both agricultural cooperatives (CAP) and state farms. In Romania, this reform resulted in the emergence of a large number of peasant landowners. However, within just a few years, the number of agricultural holdings drastically declined, leading to the transfer of land from small and very small holdings to mega-farms—a phenomenon now understood as land grabbing. In this article, I conduct a historical analysis of the land reforms in post-socialist Romania, aiming to unravel their contradictory goals and their role in the advancement of land grabbing in Eastern Europe.