The Socialist Republic of Romania existed for forty-two years, the first eighteen of which was called the Romanian People's Republic. In Romanian, this name had two similar pronunciations and spellings. The Republic ceased to exist in December 1989, when Nicolae Ceausescu was executed.
Coming to power of the communists
The scale of the persecution of the communists reached grandiose proportions under Ion Antonescu: all of them were either imprisoned or were in the capital of the USSR. The small and weak party lost its leadership, so that it could not play a significant role in the political arena of the state. After the overthrow of Antonescu, the situation changed, and Romania fell into the Soviet sphere of influence.
After a rapid change of leaders, the Soviet Union puts forward "its own man" - Peter Groza. The Romanian statesman immediately set his sights on the ideologization of the country, which greatly contributed to the victorycommunists in the elections in 1946.
After that, arrests of the opposition began, and King Mihai I was forced to abdicate. The monarchy was completely abolished. The Romanian People's Republic (the future Socialist Republic of Romania) was officially proclaimed on December 30, 1947.
Domestic policy under Gheorghiu-Dej
Georgiou-Dej became the new leader of the Socialist Republic of Romania. The country's leadership immediately carried out the nationalization of almost all private enterprises, and in 1949-1962, forced collectivization was carried out. In the late forties alone, about eighty thousand peasants were arrested.
Following the example of the Soviet Union, industrialization was also carried out. The Special Planning Committee was led by the then leader, Georgiou-Dej. The pre-war level in industry was reached by 1950. Most (80%) of all capital investments went to the chemical, energy and metallurgical industries.
Landmarks and foreign policy
Georgiou-Dej was a Stalinist, he removed from high posts all those who were a possible political opponent. So, his main ally was arrested in 1948, then the pro-Moscow politicians were eliminated and M. Constantinescu was the last rival.
After the death of Joseph Vissarionovich, relations between Romania and the USSR became more complicated. Since the late fifties, Gheorghiu-Deje, under the leadership of the Romanian Socialist Republic, has maintained an intermediate position between East and West, andalso the principles of nationalism.
The Romanian leadership managed to achieve political and economic autonomy in the socialist camp. Special agreements with France, the USA and Great Britain were concluded in 1959-1960. And this allowed Romania to penetrate foreign markets. In addition, Soviet troops were withdrawn from the Socialist Republic of Romania.
Romania under Ceausescu
The actions of Nicolae Ceausescu were of a liberal nature. He, for example, rehabilitated previously convicted members of the Communist Party. In 1965, a new constitution was adopted, new symbols and the name of the country were approved. In foreign policy, Ceausescu adhered to the principles of his predecessor. In the sixties, there was an improvement in relations with the West and gaining independence from the East. Diplomatic relations were established with Germany, the presidents of the United States and France visited Romania, the head of the country visited the United States twice and went to Great Britain once.
Economic Development
N. Ceausescu planned to overcome the lag behind Western countries in industry, so it was decided to speed up the construction of a powerful industry with funds taken from international financial institutions. The Romanian Socialist Republic borrowed a gigantic amount for those times, but the calculations turned out to be incorrect. To cover the debts, austerity, literally elevated to the rank of government policy, had to be resorted to.
The state of the SocialistThe Republic of Romania (1965-1989) turned out to be deplorable. It was practically impossible to buy bread and milk in the country, and there was no talk of meat. A strict limit was introduced on the use of electricity: it was allowed to light only one light bulb in the apartment, it was forbidden to use refrigerators and other household appliances, and the lights were turned off during the day. Hot water was supplied to the population by the hour, and even then not everywhere. Food cards were introduced. These measures have spread throughout the country: both in the provinces and in the capital.
Romanian Revolution of 1989
A wave of "velvet revolutions" swept through Europe in the late eighties. The leadership tried to isolate the Socialist Republic of Romania. But in December 1989, an attempt to evict popular clergyman Laszlo Tekes led to popular demonstrations that ended in the overthrow of the Ceausescu regime.
The police and the army were used against the demonstrators, which, in the course of the confrontation, went over to the side of the speakers. The Minister of Defense “committed suicide” was the official statement. And Ceausescu fled the capital, but was captured by the army. The military tribunal, as a result of which Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife were shot, lasted only a few hours.
