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THE REUNIFICATION OF EUROPE
THE REUNIFICATION OF EUROPE
Yet, if abroad Romania succeeded in maintaining a privileged image until the end of
population control policies, intimidation and pressure reached impressive levels. The
the 1970s, and even as far beyond as the mid-1980s, the internal evolutions placed the
Securitate remained the guard of the control over society. While terror was no longer
country in a totally different position. Following a short period characterised by liberalising
visible, more of an administrated and bureaucratised type of coercion meant to destroy
measures, Ceausescu returned to the Stalinist development paradigm. Actually, in a period
any attempt of promoting a discourse differing from the party one. The society, in its
when the East European States tried, through means of reforms, to stabilise the distance
whole, was under surveillance and repressed through an informants network coordinated
and the modernisation deficit in relations to the Western states, Romania came back to
by Militia and Securitate officers. At the same time, for more than two decades, with
the Stalinist dogmas of modernisation: accelerated industrialisation. Ceausescu developed
the sole purpose of ensuring full control of the society, an intensive and never-ending
a personal project for the forced modernisation of Romania. The acceleration of industry
campaign of mobilisation and political socialisation around the Supreme Commander
investments, predominantly in the heavy industry and the ambition to naturalise the needed
and the Romanian Communist Party was carried out. After a short co-habitation with the
technology and products for this modernisation, eventually led to Romania’s economical
society as well as the Party (1965-1970), enhancing his power consolidation by removing
bankruptcy. The contributors to this ‘evolution’ were not only external factors like oil shocks
the colleagues from the ‘Old Guard’ and re-founding of the political institutions, Ceausescu
and the energy crisis in the 1970s, but also the very development of the Romanian economy.
inaugurated a new stage in the struggle to reshape Romanian society, influenced by the
Lacking the necessary resources and with limited access to the world economic markets
Asian mobilisation model. Similarly with the North Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese
brought on by a lack of competitively of products, Romania entered the crisis at the end of
leaderships, Ceausescu fused proletarian internationalism with nationalistic discourse.
the 1970s. The attempt to reform by introducing a New Economic Mechanism was doomed
Re-Stalinisation of culture, and mobilisation of society with the purpose of a ‘leap ahead’,
to fail. Moreover, following the second oil shock in 1977, instead of reducing and rationalising
meant to build the “new man” and the “multilaterally developed socialist society” were
industrial growth, Ceausescu took measures with effects on the entire society. The changing
components of this project. They materialised around the personality cult and in an
international economic situation meant that access to credits for the Romanian economy
attempt to find an organic connection between Ceausescu and the Romanian Communist
became more expensive. Focusing on the expensive nature of debt servicing, Ceausescu’s
Party with Romanian history. Association with illustrious figures from the Romanian past,
economic reforms concentrated not on the source of the country’s problems with hard
identifying similarities with the independence period from within the Romanian state
currency—the lack of competitive export producs—but rather on ways in which he would
history alongside promoting an aggressive nationalism became elements to legitimise the
be able to pay reduced domestic consumption in order to free up hard currency for debt
‘Ceausescu era’. After 1971, year after year, the Communist regime in Romania became
repayment. Of the total investments in the 1980s, only 5 percent were directed to the food
personalised in its extreme with Ceausescu, his family and camarilla as its focal point. In
sector, with the balance directed toward sectors of the economy which would be involved in
the last decade, the personality cult became more sophisticated, meant to monopolise
debt repayment. The effects of these policies had drastic consequences: the technological
the entire propagandistic space ‘and to promote and accentuate’ the Romanian model
backwardness of the economy, deterioration of the infrastructure, and a lack of basic goods
of communism. Within this evolution, the Party becomes one with its leader, who in turn
destined for the population. The effects of this mixture were disastrous for regular citizens.
leads with the help of his wife, and of the group of activists raised and promoted by him
The rationalisation of electricity and thermal energy destined to the consumer was meant as
in the party. An immense breach is created between the leaders and society. In fact,
a measure of resource conservation for an economic base that was woefully behind in terms
Ceausescu’s Romania was an insular and atomised society. Repression and control through
of energy efficiency but continued in its drive for increasing industrial output.
mobilisation and surveillance affected all spheres of existence of Romanian society: lack of
The economic component of the failure of the Romanian Communist regime is just partially illustrative for what happened in the years when Romania was under the Ceausescu regime. Romania, like Albania and North Korea, continued with the Stalinisation of its society. The
freedom of expression, thought and belief, disdain and pressure for alternative currents of thought, food penury, hard working conditions, restriction of the freedom of movement, of national minorities’ rights, cultural censorship, and birth rate control, etc.
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